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LINCOLN  ROOM      1 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


k.b.K«tz. 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


HIS 


LIFE,  PUBLIC 

AND  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 


WITH  A  HISTORY  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


ATIONAL  LINCOLN 


WITH   AN  APPENDIX. 


By  JOHN  CARROLL  POWER. 


THIRD    EDITION. 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILIi. : 

H.  W.  KOKKEK,  PRINTER  AND  BINDEB. 

1882. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  May  8, 1872, 

By  JOHN  CARROLL  POWFR, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  Oct.  16, 1874, 

By  JOHN  CARROLL  POWER, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  Nov.  4, 1874, 

By  JOHN  CARROLL  POWER, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  June  5,  1882, 

By  JOHN  CABKOLL  POWER, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


TO  THE 

YOUNG    MEN    AND    WOMEN 

IN   THE 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA, 
Of  all  stations  in  life,  this  volume  is  most  respectfully 

B1BICATEB ; 

With  the  earnest  hope  that  they  will  adopt 
ABRAHAM    LINCOLN 


As  their*  MODEL,  and  strive 

M 
49 

0}  to  conform  their  lives  to  his  standard  of 

s 


(4 


Truthfulness,  Honesty  and  exalted   Patriotism. 

THE  AUTHOR 


I  162405 


EDITION, 


OF    THE 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  to  the  reading  public  a  new  volume 
on  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  I  do  not^claim  to 
have  discovered  any  new  mines  of  truth,  but  my  aim 
has  been  to  present  old  truths  in  a  new  and  attractive 
dress,  to  divest  the  subject  of  all  irrelevant  and  re- 
dundant matter,  and  give  a  concise  and  connected  ac- 
count of  the  life,  public  services  and  tragic  death  of 
the  wonderful  man  whose  character  seems  to  enlarge 
and  expand  the  more  it  is  studied. 

I  have  drawn  extensively  upon  other  biographers 
and  historians,  especially  the  writings  of  Hon.  I.  N. 
Arnold,  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  J.  H.  Barrett,  Ward  H. 
Lamon,  and  others.  In  addition  to  the  published 
works  on  the  subject,  I  have  derived  very  great  ad- 
vantage from  more  than  four  years  residence  among 
the  people  where  Mr.  Lincoln  spent  nearly  thirty  years 
of  his  life,  and  from  a  personal  acquaintance  with 
every  member  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association. 

I  have  not  felt  called  upon  to  defend  Mr.  Lincoln's 
character  against  unfavorable  criticisms  of  his  relig- 
ious views.  His  own  words  will  answer  them  more 
thoroughly  than  anything  I  could  say,  and  I  must  con- 
fess my  astonishment  at  finding  in  his  writings  so 


VI  PEEFACE. 

many  places  where  he  unqualifiedly  gives  expression 
to  his  belief  in  the  overruling  power  of  divine  provi- 
dence, and  of  his  reliance  on  God  for  support  and 
guidance.  This  feeling  evidently  strengthened,  as  he 
advanced  in  life.  I  am  one  of  those  who  believe  that 
God  can  and  does  convert  men  from  the  error  of  their 
ways,  to  be  living  epistles  of  the  truths  contained  in 
His  word;  and  that  He  did  touch  and  turn  the  heart 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  his  own  words  abundantly  tes- 
tify. 

That  wonderful  funeral  journey,  which  has  no  par- 
allel in  human  history,  except  that  of  the  Israelites 
carrying  the  body  of  the  patriarch  Jacob  up  out  of 
Egypt,  is  delineated  in  detail. 

The  characteristics  which  distinguish  this  book  from 
all  others,  touching  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  are: 
the  Map,  showing  the  course  of  his  life  and  funeral ; 
and  the  full  and  minute  account  of  the  building  and 
dedication  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  erect- 
ed by  a  grateful  people  as  a  visible  symbol  of  their 
desire  to  commemorate  his  virtues. 

J.  C.  P. 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Dec.  1874. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER  I 17 

Origin  of  the  Lincoln  family ;  Probably  New  England 
Quakers ;  Removal  to  Pennsylvania,  thence  to  Virgin- 
ia, and  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky ;  Abraham  Lincoln, 
grandfather  of  the  President,  assassinated  by  an  In- 
dian ;  Thomas  Lincoln ;  Birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln ; 
His  educational  advantages ;  Removal  of  the  family  to 
Indiana,  and  death  of  his  mother. 

CHAPTER  II 25 

Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  flatboatman ;  Removal  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Illinois ;  The  "deep  snow ;"  Abraham  builds  a 
flatboat  in  Sangamon  county  and  runs  it  to  market; 
His  studious  habits ;  Volunteers  to  fight  the  Indians, 
and  is  elected  Captain  of  a  company;  Is  appointed 
Postmaster ;  Learns  and  practices  surveying ;  Is  elec- 
ted to  the  Legislature ;  Studies  law,  and  removes  to 
Springfield;  Personal  description  of  himself;  His 
marriage ;  Elected  to  Congress ;  His  debates  with  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas,  and  speeches  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  east  and  west. 

CHAPTER  III 37 

Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches  in  the  New  England  States ;  They 
make  deep  impressions,  North  and  South ;  He  is  nom- 
inated by  the  Republican  National  Convention  as  a 
candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States,  and  is 
elected  in  November,  1860;  His  farewell  address  to 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

his  old  friends  in  Springfield,  on  starting  for  Wash- 
ington City;  Incidents  of  the  journey,  at  Indianapolis, 
Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Pittsburg,  Cleveland,  Buffalo, 
Albany,  Troy,  New  York  City  and  Philadelphia. 

CHAPTER  IV 51 

Conspiracy  to  assassinate  Mr.  Lincoln ;  It  is  discovered, 
thwarted,  and  he  arrives  safely  at  the  Capital ;  He  is 
inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  The  re- 
bellion bursts  upon  the  country;  Fort  Sumter  surren- 
ders ;  First  blood  spilled  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore ; 
The  great  uprising  of  the  people  in  the  North ;  Pre- 
liminary Proclamation  of  Emancipation. 

CHAPTER  V 62 

Proclamation  issued,  emancipating  three  millions  of 
slaves;  Is  followed  by  signal  success  to  the  Union 
arms;  Re-consecration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  ;  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's Gettysburg  speech ;  Thanksgiving ;  Mr.  Lincoln 
re-nominated  and  elected  for  a  second  term. 

OHAPTER  VI 72 

Mr.  Lincoln  very  broadly  hints  that  he  would  resign 
rather  than  return  any  of  the  freed  people  to  slavery ; 
Constitutional  amendment  abolishing  slavery;  Spir- 
ited speeches  on  the  subject;  Ratified  by  three-fourths 
of  the  States;  Proclamation  declaring  the  end  of 
Slavery  in  the  United  States. 

CHAPTER  VII 82 

Second  inauguration  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President 
of  the  United  States;  His  remarkable  inaugural  ad- 
dress ;  Surrender  of  the  rebel  armies ;  Raising  the  old 
flag  on  Fort  Sumter ;  Oration  by  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  rz 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  VIII 88 

Belief  of  Abraham  Lincoln  that  God  had  a  special  work 
for  him  to  do,  and  his  willingness  to  accept  the  trust; 
Feeling  that  he  would  not  outlast  the  rebellion;  The 
last  words  he  ever  wrote;  His  assassination;  Thrill- 
ing scene  in  the  theatre. 

CHAPTER  IX 103 

Surrender  of  the  rebel  army  under  General  Lee,  and  de- 
monstrations of  rejoicing  throughout  the  loyal  States; 
Assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  demonstrations 
of  mourning  throughout  the  Union ;  A  striking  con- 
trast between  April  10  and  April  15, 1865 ;  Preparations 
for  the  funeral  of  President  Lincoln. 

CHAPTER  X 113 

Commencement  of  funeral  services  at  the  Executive  Man- 
sion, and  in  the  Rotunda  of  the  Capitol  of  the  nation, 
on  the  nineteenth  of  April — also  at  towns  and  cities  all 
over  the  Union,  and  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

CHAPTER  XI 120 

Multitudes  view  the  remains  at  the  Capitol ;  Preparations 
for  the  Funeral  Cortege;  Selection  of  the  Guard  of 
Honor ;  Congressional  Delegation ;  Illinois  Delegation 
and  others. 

CHAPTER  XII 137 

Closing  scenes  at  Washington,  and  departure  of  the  Fu- 
neral Cortege ;  Arrival  at  Baltimore,  and  demonstra- 
tions of  respect  and  mourning  in  that  city ;  Journey  to 
Harrisburg,  and  manifestations  of  reverence  and  sorrow 
at  that  place;  From  Harrisburg  to  Philadelphia,  and 
incidents  connected  therewith.' 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER  XIII 132 

Reception  at  Philadelphia  by  an  immense  procession ; 
The  remains  conveyed  to  Independence  Hall,  where 
they  lay  in  state  thirty-two  hours,  passing  the  Sabbath 
in  this  sanctuary  of  the  Republic ;  The  dead  President 
and  the  broken  Bell ;  the  tide  of  people  pouring  through 
the  hall  to  view  the  remains ;  Funeral  services  in  the 
Philadelphia  churches;  Departure  of  the  Funeral  Cor- 
tege, and  incidents  of  the  journey  through  New  Jer- 
sey. 

CHAPTER  XIV 140 

The  funeral  train  arrives  in  New  York ;  Magnificent  re- 
ception and  gorgeous  procession ;  Ceaseless  living  tide 
through  the  City  Hall,  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours, 
night  and  day,  to  see  the  face  of  the  dead  President; 
Another  grand  procession  escorts  the  remains  through 
the  streets;  Jewish,  Catholic  and  Protestant  divines 
vie  with  each  other  in  demonstrations  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln ;  Oration  of  George  Ban- 
croft, Prayer  by  a  Jewis  Rabbi,  and  ode  by  William 
Cullen  Bryant,  all  in  Union  Square ;  General  Scott  at 
the  depot. 

CHAPTER  XV 153 

Departure  of  the  train  from  New  York ;  Demonstrations 
opposite  West  Point,  at  Poughkeepsie  and  other  places ; 
torchlight  procession  across  the  Hudson  river ;  Arri- 
val at  Albany ;  The  remains  lying  in  state  at  the  Capi- 
tol; Immense  number  of  people  visit  the  remains; 
Capture  and  death  of  Booth,  the  assassin;  Gigantic 
procession  escort  the  remains  to  the  depot ;  Departure 
of  the  Funeral  Cortege. 

CHAPTER  XVI 159 

Incidents  of  the  journey  from  Albany  to  Buffalo;  A 
panorama  of  torch  lights,  musical  societies  and  bands, 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  xl 


military  and  citizens,  through  the  entire  night;  arrival 
at  Buffalo,  and  reception  there ;  Throngs  of  people 
view  the  remains;  Canadians  come  over  and  take  part 
in  the  demonstrations. 

CHAPTER  XVII 166  . 

Departure  of  the  Funeral  Cortege;  Incidents  of  the 
journey,  and  demonstrations  of  sorrow  along  the  line; 
Arrival  at  Cleveland,  and  magnificent  reception ;  Tem- 
ple erected  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  the  remains ; 
gorgeous  procession ;  Religious  services ;  Throngs  of 
people. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 172 

The  Funeral  Cortege  takes  its  leave  of  Cleveland  at  mid- 
night in  a  heavy  rain  storm ;  Manifestations  of  sorrow 
at  all  the  stations  and  towns  on  the  road ;  Arrival  at 
Columbus;  Demonstrations  of  sorrow  by  the  invalid 
soldiers ;  Great  procession ;  Oration  by  Hon.  Job  E. 
Stevenson ;  Departure  from  Columbus. 

CHAPTER  XIX 179 

Incidents  of  the  journey,  and  manifestations  of  sorrow 
along  the  road ;  Richmond  and  Dublin,  and  the  Qua- 
kers of  Wayne  county,  Indiana ;  Arrival  at  Indinapo- 
lis;  The  rain  storm;  Vast  concourse  of  people  view 
the  remains  throughout  a  rainy  Sabbath ;  Rules  and 
regulations  for  running  the  train ;  Departure  at  mid- 
night. 

CHAPTER  XX 186 

The  people  assemble  in  great  numbers  at  all  the  towns 
and  stations ;  Lafayette ;  Michigan  City ;  Arrival  at  Chi- 
cago ;  Magnificent  funeral  arch ;  Signal  guns  and  toll- 
ing of  bella ;  Grand  procession ;  Former  rebel  soldiers 


xn  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

in  the  procession ;  Mottoes  and  inscriptions ;  Splendid 
decorations;  Demonstrations  of  respect  to  deceased 
kings  of  England  and  to  President  Lincoln  contrasted ; 
Closing  the  coffin,  and  a  torchlight  procession  to  the 
the  depot;  The  departure. 

CHAPTEE  XXI 200 

Journey  from  Chicago ;  Demonstrations  at  stations  and 
towns  along  the  route ;  Joliet ;  Bloornington ;  Arrival 
at  Springfield;  The  procession;  The  remains  "at  the 
State  House. 

CHAPTER  XXII 207 

Descriptions  of  the  decorations  at  the  State  House ;  Gov- 
ernor's Mansion  and  the  Lincoln  residence ;  Mottoes 
and  inscriptions;  Money  expended  by  the  city  of 
Springfield ;  Entertaining  the  vast  multitude ;  Chicago 
Committee  of  One  Hundred  have  their  photographs 
taken  in  front  of  the  Lincoln  residence ;  People  march 
past  the  remains  the  entire  night ;  No  cessation  of  vis- 
itors for  twenty-four  hours ;  Singing  at  the  State  House 
by  two  hundred  and  fifty  voices ;  Funeral  procession 
from  the  State  House  to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery ;  Relig- 
ious services  at  the  tomb ;  Funeral  oration  by  Bishop 
Simpson ;  Closing  scenes  at  Oak  Ridge ;  Table  of  dis- 
tances traveled  by  the  Funeral  Cortege. 

CHAPTER  XXIII 224 

National  Lincoln  Monument  Association ;  Construction 
of  a  temporary  vault  on  the  new  State  House  grounds ; 
Newly  erected  vault  not  used ;  Remains  deposited  in 
the  public  vault  at  Oak  Ridge ;  Entry  in  the  register ; 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association  organized 
under  the  laws  of  Illinois ;  Personnel  of  its  members ; 
Elects  officers  and  adopts  by-laws ;  Decides  to  build  the 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xin 

PAGE 

monument  at  Oak  Rigde,  and  builds  a  temporary  vault 
there ;  Advertise  for  designs  for  a  monument ;  Adopt 
that  ottered  by  Larkin  G,  Mead ;  Entered  into  contract 
with  Mr.  Mead  for  the  statuary ;  Order  statue  of  Lin- 
coln and  United  States  Coat  of  Arms  to  be  made ;  Con- 
tract with  W.  D.  Richardson  to  build  the  architectural 
part  of  the  monument. 

CHAPTER  XXIV 235 

Ground  broken  and  work  commenced  on  the  monument 
Statement  of  the  assets  of  the  Association ;  Executive, 
or  Building  Committee ;  Description  of  the  monument ; 
Engraving  of  ground  plan,  with  explanation ;  Engra- 
ving of  terrace,  with  explanation ;  Engraving  of  eleva- 
tion of  the  crypts,  with  explanation ;  Engraving  of  sec- 
tional view  of  the  monument,  with  explanation ;  Ash- 
lars, containing  the  names  of  the  States ;  Engraving  of 
round  pedestal,  with  explanation ;  Engraving  of  U.  S. 
Coat  of  Arms,  with  explanation ;  Engraving  of  the 
monument  as  it  will  appear  when  completed,  with  ex- 
planations. 

CHAPTER  XXV 250 

History  and  description  of  the  stone  from  the  wall  of 
Servius  Tullius. 

CHAPTER  XXVI 257 

Hsstory  of  the  design  and  progress  of  the  work ;  criti- 
cisms on  the  statue  of  Lincoln ;  It  is  pronounced  a  sig- 
nal success ;  Death  of  Thomas  (Tad)  Lincoln,  and  de- 
positing his  remains  in  the  monument;  Governor 
Palmer  becomes  a  member  of  the  Association;  Re- 
mains of  President  Lincoln  removed  from  the  tempo- 
rary vault  into  the  crypt  designed  for  it  in  the  monu- 
ment. 


xiv  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 262 

Raising  the  money  to  build  the  monument ;  Contribu- 
tions by  the  Sunday  School  children ;  Colored  people ; 
Churches ;  Free  Masons ;  Odd  Fellows ;  Indians ;  Sol- 
diers ;  Missionary  sends  money  from  Hong  Kong,  Chi- 
na; Sunday  School  in  Alaska;  Citizens  of  New  York; 
of  Boston ;  The  only  three  States  contributing  to  the 
funds ;  Work  all  paid  for  as  far  as  completed ;  Tributes 
of  the  Nations,  or  Expressions  of  Condolence  and  Sym- 
pathy ;  Present  membership  of  the  Association ;  Exec- 
utive Committee. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 277 

Appropriation  of  ten  thousand  dollars  by  the  State  of 
New  York ;  Special  Committee  visit  Chicago,  and  un- 
expectedly receive  proposals  to  furnish  the  means  to 
pay  for  the  Infantry  Group ;  Visit  New  York  City  and 
receive  pledges  for  the  Naval  Group ;  They  visit  Chic- 
opee,  Mass.,  and  pronounce  the  Statue  of  Lincoln  a 
success ;  Great  fire  in  Chicago ;  Gentlemen  voluntarily 
stand  to  their  pledges  made  before  the  fire ;  Infantry 
Group  ordered ;  Money  raised  for  the  Naval  Group,  and 
order  given  for  the  work  to  proceed ;  Both  Groups 
modeled ;  Progress  of  the  casting  and  finishing ;  Bos- 
ton pledges  the  money  for  the  Cavalry  Group ;  Phila- 
delphia pledges  the  money  for  the  Artillery  Group ; 
Gov.  Oglesby's  visit  to  Hon.  Wm.  M.  Seward. 

CHAPTER  XXIX 289 

Time  fixed  for  dedicating  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment ;  Reunion  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee ;  Preparations  for  doing  honor  to  both  events ; 
Triumphal  arches ;  The  selection  of  an  Orator  by  the 
Monument  Association;  President  Grant,  Gov.  John 
A.  Dix,  Hon.  Gideon  Wells,  Hon.  O.  P.  Morton,  and 
Hon.  R.  J.  Oglesby ;  Committee  on  Invitations  and  re- 
sponses to  the  same ;  The  Army  Reunion ;  Decorations 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xv 

PAGE 

in  the  city;  the  Procession;  Arrival  at  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery ;  Historical  address  by  Hon.  J.  K.  Dubois, 
including  financial  statement  of  the  Association ;  Ora- 
tion by  Hon.  R.  J.  Oglesby;  Dedication  of  the  Na- 
tional Lincoln  Monument;  Unveiling  the  Statute; 
Dedication  Poem,  by  J.  J.  Lord ;  Addresses  by  Presi- 
dent Grant,  Vice  President  Wilson,  Hon.  U.  F.  Linder, 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  and  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax ;  Lar- 
kin  G.  Mead ;  Bedediction  by  Rev.  Albert  Hale. 

CHAPTER  XXX 339 

Explanations  of  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the  Monument 
.  and  Statuary ;  Vice  President  Dubois,  Sec'y  Hatch  and 
Treasurer  Beveridge ;  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart  and  Abra- 
ham Lincoln:  Appointing  a   Custodian;    Success  of 
the  Association. 

CHAPTER  XXXI...'. 346 

History  and  description  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery. 


APPENDIX. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 353 

History  of  the  Monument  continued;  Letter  of  Mr.  Lincoln  to 
Eliza  P.  Gurney;  To  Mrs.  Bixby;  Death  of  Vice-Presi- 
clent  Dubois,  O.  H.  Miner  and  D.  L.  Phillips;  Election  of  S. 
M.  Cullom.  C.  S.  Zane  and  Milton  Hay,  members  of  the  Asso- 
ciation ;  Weight  of  the  Groups ;  Extent  of  Monument 
Grounds;  Original  and  Present  Membership  of  the  Associa- 
tion; Attempt  to  steal  the  remains  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 372 

Guides  and  Custodians  versus  Visitors;  Lincoln  Monument  a 
School  of  Patriotism;  The  Lady  visitor  who  had  traveled  in 
Europe;  Eavesdropping  visitors;  Merchant  and  Ladies; 
The  Methodists;  The  Doctor  of  Divinity;  The  Lady  who  did 
not  want  the  Custodian  to  talk,  and  then  asked  him  ques- 
tions: Theatrical  people;  The  Infldel;  Newspaper  reporters; 
The  Interior  and  the  Custodian's  reply,  etc,  etc. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 390 

Sale  and  burning  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation;  Height 
of  Mr.  Lincoln;  How  he  came  to  grow  Whiskers;  Hand  ball 
and  the  news  of  his  Nomination:  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor; 

Presbyterian  General  Assembly  and  the  Lincoln  Monument. 


LIFE   OF   LINCOLN. 


MONUMENTAL    EDITION 


CHAPTER    1. 


About  the  year  1752,  a  family  of  Lincolns  removed 
from  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  Rockingham 
county,  Virginia.  In  his  "Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln," 
Dr.  J.  G.  Holland  speculates,  with  much  plausibility, 
of  the  probability  that  some  of  the  Lincolns  among 
the  Massachusetts  Friends,  usually  called  Quakers, 
emigrated,  with  other  New  England  Puritans,  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  that  in  time  they,  or  their  descendents, 
removed' to  Virginia.  From  a  paper  written  in  De- 
cember, 1859,  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  at  the  request  of 
Hon.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  of  Bloomington,  111.,  I  find  that 
he  gives  expression  to  similar  views  with  reference  to 
the  Quaker  origin  of  the  family,  but  without  anything 
more  definite  than  the  conjectures  of  Dr.  Holland.  A 
fac  simile  of  the  paper  referred  to  above  may  be  found 
covering  three  pages  in  Lamon's  Life  of  Lincoln.  I 
have  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  unknown  to 
Dr.  Holland  at  the  time  he  wrote. 

Daniel  Boone,  at  the  head  of  a  small  party  of  ad- 
venturers, left  his  home  on  the  river  Yadkin,  in  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1769,  to  explore  that  part  of  Vir- 
ginia, then  known  as  the  ''Country  of  Kentucky." 
After  suffering  great  hardships  for  about  two  years, 
the  party  returned  with  glowing  accounts  of  the  result 
of  their  expedition.  In  1775,  Boone,  with  others  who 
were  charmed  with  the  reports  brought  back  by  the 
first  party,  organized  another,  and  with  their  families 
went  into  Kentucky  for  the  purpose  of  becoming  per- 
manent residents. 
2 


18  L.IFE  OF  ABRAHAM 

The  Revolutionary  struggle  came  on,  and  the  weary 
years  of  war  and  bloodshed  wore  away,  and  still  those 
hardy  frontiersmen  held  their  ground  among  the  sav- 
ages. As  the  war  drew  to  a  close,  and  Independence 
was  achieved,  reports  went  back  from  the  wilderness 
to  the  colonies,  then  become  States,  of  the  fertility  of 
the  soil,  abundance  of  game  and  mildness  of  climate, 
in  what  came  to  be  called  the  "  Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground." 

Among  those  for  whom  the  new  country  had 
charms,  was  a  man  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia, 
by  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  shall,  not  at- 
tempt to  exhibit  the  Lincoln  family  tree,  but  will  con- 
tent myself  with  following  this  one  branch.  He  re- 
moved to  Kentucky  about  the  year  1781  or  1782, 
taking  with  him  a  young  family.  As  near  as  can  be 
ascertained,  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Bullitt,  but 
others  say  Mercer,  county.  In  the  year  1784,  while 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  at  work  in  his  field,  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  he  was  stealthily  approached  by  an 
Indian  and  assassinated,  being  shot  dead.  He  left  a 
widow  with  five  children.  The  widow  subsequently 
removed  to  a  place  now  in  the  limits  of  Washington 
county,  and  there  brought  up  her  family  as  best  she 
could.  Three  of  these  children  were  sons,  who  were 
named  in  the  order  of  their  births:  Mordecia,  Josiah 
and  Thomas.  The  two  daughters  were  named  Mary 
and  Nancy.  Both  married  in  Kentucky  and  remained 
there.  Mordecia  lived  in  Kentucky  until  late  in  life, 
when  he  removed  to  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  left  a  number  of  descendants.  Josiah,  when  young, 
removed  to  Harrison  county,  Indiana.  Thomas,  the 
third  son,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1778,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  early  death  of  his  father  and  the  pov- 
erty of  the  family,  was  suffered  to  grow  up  in  ignor- 
ance, and  wandered  about,  laboring  whenever  and 
for  whatever  wages  he  could  command.  He  never  re- 
ceived any  education  from  books,  but  mechanically 


LJFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  19 

learned  to  write  his  name.  He  remained  a  bachelor 
until  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  In  180G 
Thomas  Lincoln  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Hanks,  a 
young  lady  who  came  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  with 
some  of  the  early  settlers.  Previous  to  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  prepared  a  cabin  for  his  future  home 
in  Hardin  county.  Into  this  humble  dwelling  he  took 
his  young  bride,  and  remained  there  until  three  chil- 
dren were  born  :  Sarah,  Abraham  and  Thomas.  The 
latter  died  in  infancy,  leaving  only  Sarah  and  Abra- 
ham. Abraham,  of  whose  life  I  am  writing,  was  born 
February  12,  1809. 

Thomas  Lincoln,  the  father,  was  a  strong,  healthy 
man,  about  five  feet  ten  and  a-half  inches  high.  From 
his  circumstances  and  surroundings  he  was  compelled 
to  dress  plainly,  but  he  was  a  man  who  was  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  quite  tall, 
being  five  feet  five  inches  high,  and  was  a  "slender, 
pale,  sad  and  sensitive  woman,  with  much  in  her  na- 
ture that  was  truly  heroic,  and  much  that  shrank  from 
the  rude  life  around  her." 

Poverty  was  the  lot  of  all  in  this  humble  home,  but 
the  father  and  mother  were  both  pious,  and  sought  at  an 
early  age  to  impress  the  minds  of  their  children  with 
religious'  truth,  but  religious  institutions  were  exceed- 
ingly rude  and  irregular.  For  many  years  young 
Abraham  Lincoln  never  saw  a  church,  but  he  occa- 
sionally heard  Parson  Elkin  preach.  He  was  a  Bap- 
tist, and  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  being  members 
of  that  denomination,  he  was  frequently  attracted  to 
their  cabin.  The  first  ideas  of  public  speaking  Abra- 
ham ever  received  was  from  the  sermons  of  Mr.  El- 
kin. 

Schools  were  scarce  and  very  inferior.  To  supply 
the  deficiency,  Mrs.  Lincoln,  having  received  more 
education  than  her  husband,  would  read  aloud  to  her 
son  and  daughter  from  the  few  books  that  could  be 
obtained  in  the  neighborhood. 


20  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Young  men  and  women  who  have  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantages of  schools  as  they  are  now  systematized  in 
all  the  northern  and  some  of  the  southern  States,  can 
not  realize  the  almost  entire  destitution  of  the  means 
for  developing  and  improving  the  mind.  Such  estab- 
lishments as  the  large  publishing  houses,  with  their 
classified  series  of  text  books,  in  almost  every  branch 
of  learning,  were  then  unknown.  The  schools  were 
usually  kept  in  houses  that  would  be  thought  unfit  for 
the  protection  of  horses  or  cattle  at  the  the  present 
time. 

The  studies  were  confined  to  spelling,  reading,  writ- 
ing and  arithmetic.  Grammar  and  geography  were 
unknown.  Such  a  thing  as  a  dictionary  was  seldom 
or  never  seen  by  any  person  connected  with  the  schools. 
The  books  in  use  were,  Dilworth's  spelling  book,  and 
for  reading,  any  book,  on  any  subject,  that  happened 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  different  families.  A 
country  school  is  remembered  by  the  writer  about  fif- 
teen years  later  than  the  time  Abraham  Lincoln  com- 
menced his  studies,  and  in  a  better  part  of  Kentucky, 
when  Dilworth's  spelling  book  had  given  place  to 
Webster's.  The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  books 
used,  as  the  best  that  could  be  obtained,  by  a  large 
number  of  boys  and  girls  about  equally  advanced  in 
their  knowledge  of  reading.  Almost  any  Kentuckian, 
unless  his  lot  was  cast  in  some  of  the  larger  towns  or 
cities  of  the  State,  has  seen  its  counterpart.  There 
being  no  possibility  of  classification,  they  would  be 
called  up  to  recite  in  something  like  the  following  or- 
der: The  Bible,  .ZEsop's  Fables,  Life  of  Washington, 
Robinson  Crusoe,  New  Testament,  Revised  Statutes 
of  Kentucky,  Life  of  Marion  by  Horry,  a  book  of 
Western  Adventures,  English  Reader,  Charlotte  Tem- 
ple, Columbian  Orator,  Thaddeus  of  Warsaw,  De- 
bates on  Baptism,  between  Campbell  and  McCalla, 
and  others  about  as  well  selected. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  21 

At  about  seven  years  of  age,  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
sent  to  a  school,  of  which  the  above  is,  no  doubt,  a  fair 
description.  The  only  aid  in  his  studies  was  an  old 
copy  of  Dil worth's  spelling  book.  He  went  two  or 
three  months  to  that  teacher,  and  within  that  year 
went  about  three  months  to  another  teacher.  With 
the  instruction  he  received  from  these  two  teachers, 
Zachariah  Riney  and  Jacob  Hazel,  and  the  aid  of  his 
mother,  he  learned  to  read  and  write  legibly.  The 
instruction  the  boy  received  from  his  mother  was, 
no  doubt  more  valuable  to  him  than  the  schools. 
Later  in  life,  Lincoln,  speaking  of  his  education,  said : 
"If  a  straggler,  supposed  to  understand  Latin,  hap- 
pened to  sojourn  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  wizzard." 

That  part  of  the  country  in  which  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  born  has  since  been  separated  from  Hardin 
and  erected  into  a  new  county,  called  Larue,  with 
Hodginsville  as  the  county  seat.  Hodginsville  is 
about  fifty  miles  south  by  east  of  Louisville,  thirty- 
live  miles  northeast  of  the  Mammoth  Cave,  and 
eight  or  ten  miles  east  of  the  Louisville  and  Nash- 
vifle  railroad,  either  from  Glendale  or  Nolensville 
stations.  The  nearest  point  from  Hodginsville  to  the 
Ohio  river  is  thirty-five  miles  northwest,  through 
Elizabethtown,  the  county  seat  of  Hardin  county,  to 
West  Point,  at  the  mouth  of  Salt  River. 

The  cabin  in  which  he  was  born  was  situated  about 
one  and  a-half  miles  from  Hodginsville,  on  Noleu's 
Creek.  The  family  remained  there  a  year  or  two  after 
his  birth,  and  then  removed  to  a  cabin  on  Knob 
Creek,  on  the  road  from  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  to 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  at  a  point  three  and  a-half  miles 
south  or  southwest  of  Athertoii's  Ferry,  on  the  Roll- 
ing Fork  of  ISalt  river,  and  six  miles  east  or  northeast 
of  Hodginsville.  As  the  family  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
increased,  he  became  dissatisfied  with  his  situation. 
The  laud  where  he  lived  was  much  of  it  broken,  poor 


22  LJFE  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 

and  stony,  and  besides  these  disadvantages,  Kentucky 
was  exceedingly  unfortunate  in  its  early  settlement  on 
account  of  the  insecurity  of  its  land  titles.  From 
this  combination  of  causes,  he  determined  to  sell  his 
small  estate  and  emigrate  west  of  the  Ohio  river.  The 
price  he  asked  for  his  home  was  $300.  In  the  year 
1816  he  found  a  purchaser,  by  taking  his  pay  princi- 
pally in  whisky  and  a  small  amount  of  money.  As 
soon  as  his  sale  was  effected  he  built  a  small  flat  boat, 
launched  it  on  the  waters  of  the  Rolling  Fork,  loaded 
it  with  his  whisky  and  heavier  household  goods  and 
farming  utensils,  and  commenced  his  journey  alone. 
He  floated  safely  down  the  Rolling  Fork  into  Salt 
river  and  entered  the  Ohio.  Here  he  met  with  the 
misfortune  of  having  his  boat  upset,  by  which  he  lost 
about  two-thirds  of  his  load.  Obtaining  assistance, 
his  boat  was  righted  and  he  continued  his  voyage  until 
he  landed  at  Thompson's  Ferry,  .now  the  town  of 
Rockport,  Spencer  county,  Indiana.  He  at  once  pro- 
cured conveyance  for  his  goods  and  took  them  about 
eighteen  miles  north,  to  a  point  near  the  present  town 
of  Gentryville,  in  the  same  county.  He  left  his  goods 
in  the  care  of  a  settler,  and  returned  to  the  river,  and 
after  crossing  it,  proceeded  on  foot  to  his  Kentucky 
home,  taking  as  near  a  straight  course  as  possible.  He 
at  once  commenced  preparations  for  removal.  The 
bedding  and  clothing  for  the  family  was  packed  upon 
three  horses,  and  all  set  out  overland  for  their  new 
home.  They  occupied  seven  days  in  making  the 
journey,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  met  with 
neighborly  assistance  in  erecting  a  dwelling,  and  were 
soon  ready  to  begin  life  in  the  wilderness. 

The  first  journey,  including  the  river  voyage  and 
land  travel,  must  have  been  at  least  two  hundred 
miles ;  although,  on  a  straight  line,  the  points  of  de- 
parture and  destination  were  less  than  one  hundred 
miles  apart.  He  had  moved  about  seventy-five  miles 
west  and  fifty  north  and  exchanged  a  slave  for  a  free 


LJFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  23 

State.  The  removal  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  1816 
when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  in  the  eigth  year  of  his 
age.  About  two  years  after  their  settlement  in  Indi- 
ana his  mother  sickened  and  died,  in  the  fall  of  1818, 
leaving:  her  husband,  son  and  daughter  to  mourn  her 
loss.  The  ability  of  Abraham  to  write  was  now  for 
the  first  time  found  to  be  an  acquisition  of  real  utility. 
Tn  their  affliction,  both  father  and  son  thought  of 
their  old  friend  Parson  Elkin,  and  it  was  finally  de- 
cided that  Abraham  should  write  to  him  imforming 
him  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  ask  the  parson 
to  come  and  preach  the  funeral.  The  preacher  wrote 
them  in  reply,  that  he  would  be  there  on  a  certain 
Sunday  and  comply  with  their  wishes.  Notice  was 
given  of  the  time  set  for  the  funeral,  and  about  two 
hundred  persons  were  collected  from  an  area  of  nearly 
twenty  miles  in  diameter.  The  minister  was  there  at 
the  appointed  time,  and  taking  his  stand  at  the  foot  of 
the  grave,  with  his  congregation  seated  on  logs  and 
stumps,  preached  a  sermon  suitable  to  the  occasion. 
The  memory  of  his  mother  was  always  held  sacred  by 
Abraham  Lincoln.  After  he  had  acquired  great  fame, 
while  in  conversation  with  a  friend  he  said,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  "All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,  I  owe  to 
my  angel  mother."  It  has  been  said  that  the  forego- 
ing remark  was  made  concerning  his  step-mother,  but 
that  is  not  very  probable,  as  she  was  living  at  the 
time  the  remark  was  made.  That  he  was  strongly 
attached  to  her  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

A  gentleman  who  resided  at  Charleston,  Coles  Co., 
111.,  was  present  when  Abraham  Lincoln  visited  his 
step-mother  soon  after  he  was  elected  President,  in  the 
fall  of  1860,  and  gave  to  the  writer  a  description  of 
the  parting  scene,  which,  if  truly  portrayed,  would  se- 
cure fame  to  the  artist  who  should  execute  it.  He  said 
that  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  about  to  take  leave  of  the 
aged,  white-haired  matron  who  had  so  faithfully  sup- 
plied the  place  of  a  mother,  she  approached  him  with 


24  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

tottering:  steps,  surrounded  by  her  humble  neighbors, 
and  leaning  upon  his  breast,  in  faltering  tones  sobbed 
out  the  words,  "Abram,  I  feel  that  I  shall  never  see 
you  again."  As  Mr.  Lincoln  stood,  his  tall  form  tow- 
ering above  hers,  his  left  arm  around  her  neck,  his 
right  hand  raised  and  pointed  towards  Heaven,  he  ut- 
tered the  single  word,  "  Mother."  He  could  say  no 
more,  and  after  standing  a  few  moments  in  silence, 
with  his  head  slightly  inclined  forward,  they  slowly 
separated  to  meet  no  more  on  earth. 


CHAPTER  II. 


When  he  was  about  twelve  years  of  age,  one  of 
the  neighbors,  named  Andrew  Crawford,  commenced 
teaching  a  school  in  his  own  cabin,  and  Abraham 
made  diligent  use  of  this  opportunity  to  improve  his 
mind.  The  same  obstacle  presented  itself  here  that 
existed  in  Kentucky,  with  reference  to  books,  but 
such  as  found  their  way  into  the  new  settlement,  were 
secured  for  the  boy  to  read.  Some  of  the  books  read 
about  that  time,  made  a  lasting  impression  on  his 
mind.  Among  them  were  the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  by 
John  Bunyan ;  the  life  of  Washington,  both  by 
Weems  and  Ramsey ;  the  life  of  Henry  Clay ;  .ZEsop's 
Fables,  and  other  books  of  like  value. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1819,  a  little  more  than  a  year 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Thomas  Lincoln  returned 
to  Kentucky,  and  married  Mrs.  Sally  Johnston,  of 
Elizabethtown,  a  widow  lady  with  three  children. 
She  proved  to  be  a  kind  step-mother,  and  the  two 
families  grew  up  in  harmony. 

In  1822,  Sarah  Lincoln  was  married  to  a  young 
man  named  Aaron  Grigsby.  She  died  about  a  year 
after  her  marriage,  and  thus  Abraham  was  motherless 
and  without  a  brother  or  sister. 

In  the  year  1828,  when  Abraham  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  a  neighbor  applied  to  him  to  take  charge 
of  a  flatboat  and  its  cargo,  and,  in  company  with  his 
own  son,  run  it  down  the  Mississippi  river  and  sell  it 
at  the  sugar  plantations  near  New  Orleans.  The 
business  was  placed  entirely  in  his  hands.  They 
started  from  the  town  of  Rockport,  Spencer  county, 


26  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

and  made  a  successful  trip,  giving  satisfaction  to  all 
parties.  On  their  return,  they  walked  the  greater 
portion  of  the  distance. 

Abraham  Lincoln  had,  long  before  his  flatboat  trip, 
ceased  to  attend  any  school.  Summing  up  all  the 
time  spent  under  his  five  teachers,  it  did  not  amount 
to  more  than  about  one  year,  and  the  most  that  could 
be  said  of  his  attainments,  was  that  he  could  "read, 
write  and  cipher,"  but  he  was  always  reading  or 
studying  at  every  leisure  moment. 

After  living  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  in  Indiana, 
and  the  children  of  both  families  grew  to  be  men  and 
women,  all  became  dissatisfied  with  their  location. 
The  country  continued  to  be  unhealthy,  and  to  extend 
farming  required  a  great  amount  of  labor  to  remove 
the  timber.  They  had  heard  of  the  prairies  of  Illinois, 
and  decided  to  send  Dennis  Hanks,  a  relative  of  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  to  examine  the  new  country.  He  returned  and 
reported  very  favorable.  Mr.  Lincoln  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  Indiana,  and  on  the  first  of  March,  1830, 
started  in  search  of  a  home.  They  entered  the  State  of 
Illinois  by  crossing  the  Wabash  river  at  Vincennes,  and 
continued  their  course  to  the  northwest  through  Law- 
renceville,  near  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  New- 
ton, in  Jasper  county,  and  through  Charleston,  Coles 
county.  The  roads,  or  rather  the  country,  was  very 
muddy,  and  it  took  them  fifteen  days  to  travel  about 
two  hundred  miles.  Abraham  drove  one  of  the  ox 
teams,  and  was  afterwards  remembered  by  some  of 
the  citizens  along  the  route  on  account  of  his  being  so 
tall. 

Thomas  Lincoln  selected  a  spot  on  the  north  side 
of  Sangamon  river,  where  timber  and  prairie  were 
convenient  to  each  other.  It  was  in  Macon  county, 
about  ten  miles  west  of  Decatur.  Abraham  assisted 
his  father  in  building  a  log  cabin,  and  in  splitting 
rails  and  fencing  ten  acres  of  land.  After  this,  he 
worked  for  hire  among  the  neighbors.  A  part  of  his 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  27 

work  at  that  time  was  breaking  fifty  acres  of  prairie 
with  four  yoke  of  oxen.  The  expectation  that  their 
new  home  would  be  a  more  healthy  location,  proved 
to  be  a  sad  disappointment.  In  the  autumn  of  the 
first  year,  nearly  all  of  the  new  emigrants  were  afflicted 
with  fever  and  ague.  The  winter  of  1830—31  is  re- 
membered as  the  winter  of  the  "deep  snow."  I  quote 
from  an  address  by  President  Sturtevant,  before  the 
old  settlers  association  at  Jacksonville :  "In  the  inter- 
val between  Christmas,  1830,  and  January,  1831,  snow 
fell  over  all  central  Illinois  to  a  depth  of  fully  three 
feet  on  a  level.  Then  came  a  rain,  with  weather  so 
cold  that  it  froze  as  it  fell,  forming  a  crust  of  ice  over 
this  three  feet  of  snow,  nearly  if  not  quite  strong 
enough  to  bear  a  man,  and  finally,  over  this  crust  of 
ice  there  was  a  few  inches  of  very  light  snow.  The 
clouds  passed  away,  and  the  wind  came  down  upon 
us  from  the  northwest  with  extraordinary  ferocity. 
For  weeks,  certainly  for  not  less  than  two  weeks,  the 
mercury  in  the  thermometer  tube  was  not,  on  any  one 
morning,  higher  than  twelve  degrees  below  zero. 
This  snow  fail  produced  constant  sleighing  for  nine 
weeks." 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  the  Lincoln  family  retraced 
their  steps  in  part,  leaving  Macon  for  a  better  locality 
in  Coles  county,  not  far  from  Charleston.  That  con- 
tinued to  be  the  home  of  Thomas  Lincoln  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  January  17,  1851,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Coles  county, 
Abraham  never  made  his  home  in  his  father's  house. 
During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  he  made  an  en- 
gagement for  himself,  his  step-brother,  John  D.  John- 
ston, and  John  Hanks,  a  relative  of  his  own  mother, 
to  take  a  flatboat  to  iS'ew  Orleans.  They  were  to 
meet  their  employer  at  Springfield,  which  they  did 
about  the  first  of  March,  to  learn  that  the  enterprise 


28  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  IJNCOI.N. 

was  a  failure,  in  consequence  of  the  inability  of  their 
employer  to  obtain  a  boat. 

An  arrangement  was  then  made  for  the  three  to 
build  a  boat  at  Sangamo,  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Sangamon  river,  about  seven  miles  northwest  from 
Springfield.  After  the  boat  was  finished,  it  was  floated 
down  below  New  Salem,  now  in  Menard,  then  a  part 
of  Sangamon  county,  where  the  boat  was  loaded  for 
the  trip,  a  part  of  the  cargo  being  live  hogs.  The 
voyage  was  a  success,  the  running  of  the  boat  and 
selling  the  cargo  being  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Lincoln.  On  his  return,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Mr.  Oifutt,  who  had  fitted  out  the  boat.  The 
store  was  at  New  Salem,  a  town  now  extinct. 

In  connection  with  all  the  hard  labor  he  had  per- 
formed, Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  constant  reader,  making 
the  best  choice  he  could  from  the  scanty  materials  to 
be  obtained.  While  clerking  in  the  store  at  New 
Salem,  he  borrowed  a  copy  of  Kirkham's  grammar, 
and  mastered  its  intricacies.  It  was  while  he  was 
clerking  in  this  store  that  the  people  began  to  call 
him  "  Honest  Abe."  After  spending  about  one  year 
in  the  store,  his  employer  failed,  and  he  was  thrown 
out  of  business. 

In  1832,  the  Indian  war,  headed  by  the  chief  Black 
Hawk,  broke  out,  and  young  Lincoln,  now  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  enlisted  for  the  fight.  When  the 
time  came  for  the  election  of  a  captain  for  his  com- 
pany, a  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  was  candidate.  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  previously  worked  for  Kirkpatrick,  and  found 
him  so  tyranical  that  he  refused  longer  to  remain  in 
his  employ.  Lincoln  was  put  forward  as  a  candidate 
for  the  same  office,  by  a  party  of  young  men,  without 
any  aspirations  for  the  office  on  his  part.  The  candi- 
dates took  positions  some  distance  from  the  men,  and 
at  a  given  signal  they  fell  to  the  rear  of  their  favorite. 
Lincoln  received  about  three-fourths  of  the  votes.  In 
after  life  he  often  referred  to  this  incident,  and  con- 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  29 

fessed  that  no  subsequent  success  gave  him  half  the 
satisfaction  that  this  election  did.  Captain  Lincoln's 
company  did  a  great  amount  of  marching,  but  was 
not  in  any  battle.  The  time  for  which  the  men  en- 
listed expired  before  the  closing  of  the  war,  and  many 
of  them  went  home,  but  Captain  Lincoln  and  some 
of  the  men  re-enlisted,  and  served  until  Black  Hawk 
was  taken  prisoner  and  his  followers  dispersed. 

The  rendezvous  of  the  soldiers  before  starting  for  the 
enemy  was  at  Beardstown.  While  in  camp,  Captain 
Lincoln  became  acquainted  with  Captain  John  T. 
Stuart,  who  was  soon  after  elected  Major  of  a  spy 
battalion.  Thus  commenced  the  acquaintance  between 
these  two  men  which  ripened  into  the  closest  friend- 
ship and  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  Lincoln  became  a 
candidate  for  the  legislature,  but  failed  to  be  elected, 
not  for  want  of  personal  popularity,  but  because  he 
espoused  the  weakest  side  in  politics,  being  a  Whig. 
The  official  poll-books  for  New  Salem  precinct,  where 
he  lived,  show  that  Lincoln  received  277  votes,  when 
at  the  same  time  the  combined  vote  of  the  Whig  and 
Democratic  candidates  for  congress  was  only  276. 

Being  out  of  business,  Lincoln  was  about  to  com- 
mence learning  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  but  soon 
abandoned  the  idea,  and  took  an  interest  in  a  store. 
That  proved  to  be  unprofitable,  and  he  abandoned  it 
in  about  one  year,  because  he  was  unable  to  pay  his 
debts.  He  was  postmaster  at  New  Salem  during  the 
time  he  kept  that  store,  which  gave  him  access  to  all 
the  newspapers  he  could  read.  The  postoffice  at  New 
Salem  was  abolished  while  he  was  postmaster,  and  the 
business  removed  to  Petersburg.  The  village  of  New 
Salem  in  a  short  time  ceased  to  exist. 

Soon  alter  his  failure  in  business,  a  chance  for  remu- 
nerative employment  presented  itself.  John  Calhouu, 
who  many  years  later  took  part  in  the  Kansas  trou- 
bles, was,  at  the  time  we  speak  of,  surveyor  of  Sanga- 


30  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

mon  county.  He  was  anxious  to  have  an  assistant 
whom  he  could  trust.  Having  observed  Lincoln's 
studious  habits,  and  knowing  him  to  be  honest,  he  told 
him  that  if  he  would  study  surveying,  he  could  have 
all  the  work  he  desired,  and  be  well  paid  for  it.  Cal- 
houn  offered  the  use  of  the  necessary  books.  Lincoln 
accepted  them,  and  in  a  few  weeks  was  ready  for  the 
business,  and  followed  it  more  or  less  for  two  or  three 
years.  During  that  time  he  did  the  surveying  in  lay- 
ing out  the  town  of  Petersburg,  the  county  seat  of 
Menard  county.  He  also  surveyed  much  of  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

In  1834,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  again  a  candidate 
for  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  and  was  elected,  receiv- 
the  highest  vote  cast  for  any  candidate.  When  the 
time  arrived  for  the  assembling  of  the  legislature, 
Lincoln  laid  aside  his  compass,  and  with  a  package 
of  clothing,  went  on  foot  to  Vandalia,  the  capital  of 
the  State,  about  one  hundred  miles  distant.  Hon. 
Jesse  K.  Dubois — then  a  Representative  from  Law- 
rence county,  but  now  of  Springfield — and  Lincoln 
were  the  two  youngest  members  of  the  House.  That 
session  commenced  in  December,  1834.  During  the 
whole  time,  Lincoln  said  little  but  observed  all  that 
was  done  by  others.  He  was  constantly  in  his  place, 
and  faithfully  discharged  every  duty  assigned  him  on 
the  various  committees.  Major  John  T.  Stuart  was 
one  of  Lincoln's  colleagues  from  Sangamon  county, 
and  they  roomed  together  at  Vandalia.  As  they  were 
taking  a  walk  one  morning  after  breakfast,  Lincoln 
asked  Stuart's  advice  with  reference  to  the  study  of 
law,  and  Stuart  advised  him  to  begin  at  once.  Lincoln 
said  he  was  poor  and  unable  to  buy  books.  Mr. 
Stuart  was  already  in  a  successful  practice  at  Spring- 
field, and  ottered  to  loan  him  all  the  books  he  would 
require.  The  offer  was  gratefully  accepted,  and  when 
the  session  closed,  Lincoln  returned  home  as  he  went 
— on  foot.  When  he  was  ready  to  begin  his  studies, 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  31 

he  walked  to  Springfield,  a  distance  of  about  twenty- 
five  miles,  borrowed  enough  books  to  make  a  com- 
mencement, and  returned  with  them  to  New  Salem. 
He  would  study  as  long  as  his  money  lasted,  and  as 
the  opportunity  to  do  more  surveying  presented  itself, 
he  would  earn  all  the  money  he  could  and  return  to 
his  studies. 

In  the  autumn  of  1836,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Springfield,  and  about  the  same  time  re- 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature.  Sangamon  county 
was  entitled  to  two  Senators  and  seven  Kepresenta- 
tives.  At  that  term  the  entire  delegation  were  so  tall 
that  they  were  then  and  have  always  since  been  called 
the  "  Long  Nine."  Some  of  them  were  a  little  less 
and  some  a  little  more  than  six  feet,  but  their  com- 
bined height  was  exactly  fifty-four  feet.  None  were 
taller  than  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  statement  written 
by  himself,  in  December,  1859,  at  the  request  of  Hon. 
Jesse  W.  Fell,  of  Bloomington,  contains  this  para- 
gragh:  "If  any  personal  description  of  me  is  thought 
desirable,  it  may  be  said  I  am  in  height  six  feet,  four 
inches  nearly;  lean  in  flesh;  weigh,  on  an  average, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds;  dark  complexion, 
with  coarse,  black  hair,  and  gray  eyes — no  other 
marks  or  brands  recollected."  It  was  at  the  session 
of  1836-7  that  the  capital  was  removed  from  Vanda- 
lia  to  Springfield.  At  the  close  of  that  session,  Mr. 
Lincoln  walked  home  as  before.  His  Springfield 
friend,  Major  Stuart,  at  this  time  made  him  an  oifer 
to  become  his  partner  in  the  practice  of  law,  which 
he  accepted,  and  from  April  27,  1837,  Springfield  was 
his  home.  Here  he  was  warmly  welcomed  on  account 
of  his  efficient  aid  in  securing  the  removal  of  the  capital 
to  Springfield.  The  people  were  still  anxious  to  keep 
him  in  the  Legislature,  and  he  was  elected  in  1838 
and  again  in  1840,  but  after  that  declined  to  be  a 
candidate. 


32  LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

The  firm  of  Stuart  &  Lincoln  continued  to  practice 
until  April  14,  1841,  when  Mr.  Stuart  was  elected  to 
a  seat  in  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  which 
made  it  necessary  to  dissolve  the  law  firm.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  S.  T. 
Logan,  then  and  now  a  citizen  of  Springfield.  They 
were  partners  until  1845.  He  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  William  H.  Herndon,  as  Lincoln  &  Hern- 
don,  which  continued  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  married  in  Springfield  to  Miss 
Mary  Todd,  November  4,  1842.  In  1846  he  was 
elected  to  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  and 
when  he  took  his  seat  in  that  body  was  the  only 
Whig  from  Illinois,  all  the  others  being  Democrats. 

After  serving  out  his  two  years  congressional  term, 
he  was  for  nearly  ten  years  diligently  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  without  being  a  candidate 
before  the  people  for  any  office  whatever.  But  he  was 
by  no  means  an  idle  spectator  of  the  political  acts 
passing  in  review  before  him.  He  was  gradually 
preparing,  perhaps  unconscious  to  himself,  for  the 
great  events  in  which  he  was  to  act  so  conspicuous  a 
part.  By  his  occasional  speeches,  he  was  gaining  a 
national  reputation. 

In  the  first  Republican  National  Convention,  which 
assembled  in  Philadelphia  June  17,  1856,  he  received 
110  votes  as  the  candidate  for  Vice  President,  to  259 
for  Dayton.  This  of  course  decided  the  matter  against 
him,  but  it  was  complimentary,  and  was  a  formal  in- 
troduction of  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  Nation. 

His  name  headed  the  Republican  electorial  ticket 
for  Illinois,  and  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  cam- 
paign for  Fremont  and  Dayton.  From  the  time  of 
this  campaign  to  the  end  of  his  life,  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
almost  entirely  absorbed  in  politics. 

Although  United  States  Senators  are  not  elected  by 
the  popular  vote,  events  brought  the  subject  as  prom- 
inently before  the  people  of  Illinois  in  1858  as  if  they 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  TJNOOLN.  33 

had  been  expected  to  vote  upon  it.  It  was  known 
that  it  would  be  a  part  of  the  business  of  the  General 
Assembly  to  be  elected  that  year  to  choose  a  United 
States  Senator  to  succeed  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and 
that  he  was  a  canidate  for  re-election.  The  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  of  Illinois  assembled  in 
Springfield,  April  21.  of  that  year,  and  endorsed  the 
course  of  Mr.  Douglas  in  Congress  on  the  slavery 
question.  This  endorsement  was  understood  by  all 
parties  to  be  equivalent  to  a  nomination  for  re-elec- 
tion. 

The  Republican  State  Convention  also  assembled 
in  Springfield,  on  the  16th  of  June  following.  There 
were  about  six  hundred  dejegates  to  this  convention, 
and  enough  of  their  alternates  were  present  to  make 
about  one  thousand  earnest  men  from  all  parts  of  the 
State.  A  banner  was  borne  into  the  convention  from 
Chicago  bearing  the  words,  "Cook  county  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln."  The  whole  convention  rose  to  its  feet 
and  gave  three  cheers.  After  adopting  a  platform  and 
transacting  all  other  business,  a  resolution  was  brought 
forward  and  unanimously  adopted  on  the  17th,  "that 
Hon.  Abraham  Lincoln  is  our  first  and  only  choice 
for  United  States  Senator,  to  fill  the  vacancy  about  to 
be  created  by  the  expiration  of  Mr.  Douglas'  term  of 
office."  Frequent  calls  were  made  for  a  speech  from 
Mr.  Lincoln.  It  was  at  length  announced  that  he 
would  address  the  convention  at  the  State  House  in 
the  evening.  In  that  speech  he  defined  in  the  clearest 
language  the  issue  between  the  friends  and  enemies 
of  slavery,  and  gave  as  his  opinion  that  "a  house 
divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,"  and  that  the 
United  States  would  either  become  all  slave  or  all 
free ;  and  pointed  out  so  clearly  the  duty  of  the  friends 
of  freedom  that  the  convention  adjourned  in  the  high- 
est state  of  enthusiasm. 

The  work  now  for  the  two  candidates  was,  to  each 
exert  his  influence  in  the  choice  of  members  of  the 


34  LIFE  OF  ABEAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Legislature,  the  slavery  question  being  the  only  point 
at  issue.  At  first  their  appointments  were  made  in- 
dependent of  each  other.  Mr.  Douglas  spoke  at  Chica- 
go on  the  9th  and  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  10th  of  July. 
On  the  16th,  Mr.  Douglas  spoke  at  Bloomington,  Mr. 
Lincoln  being  present.  On  the  17th,  both  spoke  at 
Springfield  to  different  audiences,  neither  one  hearing 
the  other. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  wishing  to  come  to  close  work  on  the 
subject,  addressed  the  following  note  to  Mr.  Douglas : 

CHICAGO,  ILL.,  July  24, 1858. 
Hon.  8.  A.  Douglas  : 

MY  DEAR  SIB  :  Will  it  be  agreeable  to  you  to  make  an  ar- 
rangement for  you  and  myself  to  divide  time  and  address  the 
same  audiences  the  present  canvass  ?  Mr.  Judd,  who  will  hand 
you  this,  is  authorized  to  receive  your  answer;  and,  if  agreeable 
to  you,  to  enter  into  the  terms  of  such  arrangement. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

Mr.  Douglas  replied  the  same  day  at  some  length. 
Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  Mr.  Douglas  again  on  the  29th, 
and  Mr. '  Douglas  replied  on  the  30th  of  the  same 
month,  accepting  the  proposition  for  discussion,  and 
naming  the  following  seven  places  and  times  for  hold- 
ing the  meetings : 

Ottawa,  LaSalle  county Aug.  21,  1858 

Freeport,  Stephenson  county "  27,  " 

Jonesboro,  Union             "      Sept.  15,  " 

Charleston,  Coles             "      "  18,  " 

Galesburg,  Knox              "      Oct.  7,  " 

Quincy,  Adams                "      "  13,  " 

Alton,  Madison                "      «  15,  " 

Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  Mr.  Douglas  on  the  31st, 
acquiescing  in  the  arrangement,  and  the  debates  were 
held  at  the  times  and  places  designated. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  35 

The  principles  of  each  party  were  thoroughly  dis- 
cussed, and  the  weak  points  of  both  fully  exposed. 
The  discussion  was  fair,  open  and  manly,  the  warmest 
friendship  being  sustained  between  the  disputants 
throughout  the  campaign. 

A  small  majority  of  the  members  of  the  Legislature 
elected  as  the  result  of  this  canvass  were  in  favor  of 
Mr.  Douglas.  Mr.  Douglas  was  accordingly  returned 
to  the  U.  S.  Senate.  Notwithstanding  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  defeated  in  the  immediate  object  of  the  canvass, 
there  is  little  doubt  that  it  was  the  means  of  placing 
him  in  the  Presidential  chair.  The  principles  upon 
which  the  Republican  party  asked  the  confidence  of 
the  American  people  are  not  so  clearly  set  forth  in 
any  other  form  as  in  his  speeches  in  this  discussion. 
These  speeches  took  the  whole  range  of  the  extension 
and  restriction  of  slavery  in  the  territories,  and  the 
manner  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  presented  the  subject 
was  so  clear  and  logical  that  it  commanded  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people,  east,  west,  north  and  south.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1859,  he  visited  Kansas,  Ohio  and  New 
York,  and  made  several  speeches  of  great  ability. 
Albert  D.  Richardson,  who  accompanied  him  to  Kan- 
sas, referring  to  his  speech  delivered  in  a  rickety  old 
court  house  in  Troy,  Doniphan  county,  on  a  cold, 
windy  November  night,  says  that  a  Democratic  speaker 
present  attempted  to  reply,  but  did  little  more  than 
compliment  Mr.  Lincoln  by  saying  that  it  was  the 
finest  speech  he  had  ever  listened  to  on  the  Republi- 
can side  of  the  question. 

A  speech  delivered  by  him  in  Cincinnati,  early  in 
1860,  to  an  audience  in  which  he  assumed  there  were 
some  Kentuckians,  discussed  the  question  with  the 
the  border  slave  States  in  his  own  peculiar  style.  It 
is  yet  remembered  in  that  city  lor  its  extraordinary 
power. 

An  elaborate  article,  prepared  by  Senator  Douglas, 
appeared  in  Harper's  Magazine,  in  the  latter  part  of 


36  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

1859.  Tt  had  an  immense  circulation  all  over  the 
Union.  Mr.  Lincoln  soon  had  an  opportunity  to  be 
heard  on  a  more  extended  scale  before  the  people  of 
the  Nation.  An  invitation  was  extended  to  him  to 
speak  in  Brooklyn  at  Mr.  Beecher's  church,  but  it 
was  thought  best  by  the  Republicans  of  the  two  cities 
the  speech  should  be  delivered  at  Cooper  Institute, 
New  York.  It  was  delivered  in  the  latter  part  of 
February,  1860.  He  had  expended  an  extraordinary 
amount  of  historical  research  in  its  preparation,  and 
it  was  one  of  the  clearest  exhibitions  of  the  policy  of 
the  Republican  party  ever  delivered  in  one  speech. 
It  was  copied  in  the  newspapers  east  and  west,  and 
printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  used  as  a  text  book  in 
the  succeeding  Presidential  campaign. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Invitations  to  speak  were  received  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
from  many  places  in  New  England.  On  the  fifth  of 
March  he  spoke  at  Hartford,  and  was  escorted  to  the 
City  Hall  by  the  first  company  of  "Wide  Awakes" 
ever  organized.  He  had  an  immense  audience  and 
produced  a  powerful  impression.  On  the  sixth  of 
March  he  spoke  at  New  Haven,  on  the  seventh  at 
Meriden,  on  the  eighth  at  Woonsocket,  Rhode  Island, 
on  the  ninth  at  Norwich,  Connecticut,  on  the  tenth 
at  Bridgeport.  All  of  these  speeches  were  to  immense 
audiences.  The  educated  and  highly  cultivated  classes 
of  the  Eastern  States  seemed  as  much  charmed  with 
the  man  and  his  style  of  oratory  as  the  people  of  the 
west.  During  this  trip  he  visited  his  son,  Robert,  at 
Harvard  College,  and  spent  two  Sabbaths  in  New  York 
City,  both  times  attending  Mr.  Beecher's  church. 

All  these  speeches  were  read  and  re-read,  from 
Maine  to  California,  and  from  the  frozen  regions  of 
the  North  to  the  border  slave  States  on  the  South, 
and  to  a  considerable  extent  even  among  the  orange 
groves  of  the  extreme  South. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  scarcely  returned  home  from  his 
eastern  tour  before  the  Democratic  National  Conven- 
tion assembled  at  Charleston,  which  occurred  on  the 
23d  of  April.  After  wrangling  among  themselves 
for  several  days,  that  body  was  rent  in  twain,  one 
part  to  assemble  in  Baltimore  on  the  eighteenth  day 
of  June,  and  the  other  to  meet  in  Richmond  on  the 
second  Monday  in  June. 


38  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

On  the  ninth  of  May  the  National  Constitutional 
Union  Convention  assembled  in  Baltimore.  This 
Convention  was  made  up  of  old  Whigs  and  native 
Americans.  It  nominated  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee, 
for  President,  and  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts, 
for  Vice-President.  The  Richmond  Convention  met 
and  adjourned  to  await  the  doings  of  the  Baltimore 
Convention,  which  nominated  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
for  President,  and  Benjamin  Fitzpatrick,  of  Alabama, 
afterwards  changed  to  Herschel  V.  Johnson,  of  Geor- 
gia, for  Vice-President.  This  was  done  on  the  23d 
of  June. 

The  members  of  the  Richmond  Convention,  after 
adjourning,  went  in  a  body  to  Baltimore  and  re-or- 
ganized. They  then  nominated  John  C.  Breckenridge, 
of  Kentucky,  for  President,  and  Joseph  Lane,  of 
Oregon,  for  Vice-President.  This  body  completed  its 
work  on  the  22d  of  June,  one  day  before  the  conven- 
tion that  nominated  Douglas. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  assembled  in 
Chicago,  May  16th,  1860,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting 
candidates  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice-Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  At  first  the  choice  seemed 
nearly  equally  divided  between  Mr.  Seward,  of  New 
York,  and  Mr.  Lincoln.  On  the  18th  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  nominated  on  the  third  ballot  by  345  out  of  465 
votes.  His  nomination  was  thus  secured,  but  Mr. 
Evarts,  of  New  York,  after  expressing  his  regret  that 
the  gentleman  from  his  own  State  had  not  been  the 
choice  of  the  convention,  moved  that  the  nomination 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  be  made  unanimous.  Hannibal 
Hamlin,  of  Maine,  was  nominated  for  Vice-President. 

On  Saturday,  May  19th,  the  Hon.  George  Ashmun, 
of  Massachusetts,  President  of  the  Convention,  at  the 
head  of  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  arrived 
in  Springfield  and  delivered  to  Mr.  Lincoln  a  letter 
informing  him  of  his  nomination,  and  a  copy  of  the 
platform  of  the  principles  adopted  by  the  Conven- 
tion. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  39 

On  the  23d  of  May  Mr.  Lincoln  accepted  the  nom- 
ination in  a  graceful  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Ashmun. 
The  election  took  place  on  the  6th  of  November. 
The  electoral  vote  of  all  the  States  combined  was  303. 
Of  this  number  Lincoln  and  Hamlin  received  180; 
Breckenridge  and  Lane,  the  candidates  of  the  pro- 
slavery  democrats,  72 ;  Bell  and  Everett  39,  and 
Douglas  and  Johnson,  progressive  democrats,  12: 
making  a  majority  of  37,  over  all  competitors,  for 
Lincoln  and  Hamlin. 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  in  strict 
conformity  to  the  constitutional  provisions  governing 
the  case,  the  fact  thnt  he  was  elected  was  made  the 
occasion  for  the  conspiracy,  which  had  long  been 
smouldering  in  the  Southern  States,  to  burst  forth  in 
full  flame.  From  the  time  of  his  election  to  the  day 
of  his  inaugeration,  wanted  but  two  days  of  four 
months.  During  that  time  seven  States  passed  ordi- 
nances of  secession,  and  appointed  delegates  to  attend 
a  convention  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  on  the  4th  of 
February,  1861.  These  were  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida,  Louisiana  and  Texas. 

This  convention  assembled  at  the  appointed  time 
and  adopted  a  provisional  constitution  for  what  they 
called  the  Confederate  States  of  America.  They 
selected  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi,  for  President, 
and  Alexander  H.  Stevens,  of  Georgia,  to  be  Vice- 
President  of  the  new  Government. 

All  this  was  done  before  Mr.  Lincoln  left  his  home 
in  Illinois,  and  nearly  a  month  before  he  took  the 
oath  of  office  at  the  capital  of  the  nation.  It  was 
not  in  consequence  of  anything  he  had  done,  for  the 
time  had  not  yet  arrived  for  him  to  perform  any  of- 
ficial act ;  nor  was  it  in  consequence  of  anything 
which  the  leaders  saw  he  had  the  power  to  do,  for 
they  well  knew  his  views  of  the  sanctity  of  an  oath, 
and  that  he  would  swear  to  maintain  the  constitution 
inviolate  Secession  was  a  foregone  conclusion,  to 


40  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

be  carried  out  at  this  time  if  it  could  be  made  prac- 
ticable. 

At  eight  o'clock  Monday  morning,  February  llth, 
1861,  Abraham  Lincoln  left  his  home  in  Springfield 
to  repair  to  the  capital  of  the  nation  for  the  purpose 
of  entering  upon  his  duties  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  Almost  the  entire  population  of  the  city, 
without  distinction  of  party,  assembled  at  the  depot 
of  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  Railroad,  then 
at  the  crossing  of  Monroe  and  Tenth  streets,  to  see 
him  take  his  departure.  He  seemed  to  feel  to  its  full 
extent  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  before  enter- 
ing the  cars  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  his  old 
friends  and  neighbors  by  a  general  hand-shaking  and 
the  delivery  of  the  following  brief 

FAREWELL    ADDRESS. 

"  My  Friends:  No  one,  not  in  my  position,  can  appreciate 
the  sadness  I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that 
I  am.  Here  I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century ;  here 
my  children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies  buried.  I 
know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty  devolves  upon 
me  which  is,  perhaps,  greater  than  that  which  has  devolved  upon 
any  other  man  since  the  days  of  Washington.  He  never  would 
have  succeeded  except  by  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon 
which  he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that  I  can  not  succeed  with- 
out the  same  Divine  aid  which  sustained  him,  and  on  the  same 
Almighty  Being  I  place  my  reliance  for  support ;  and  I  hope 
you,  my  friends,  will  all  pray  that  I  may  receive  that  Divine  as- 
sistance, without  which  I  can  not  succeed,  but  with  which  suc- 
cess is  certain.  Again  I  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell." 

It  was  raining  at  the  time  but  every  hat  was  lifted 
when  he  began  to  speak,  and  every  head  bent  forward 
to  catch  what  proved  to  be  his  last  words  to  Spring- 
field auditors.  When  he  uttered  the  sentiment  that 
with  God's  help  he  was  sure  to  succeed,  there  was  an  un- 
controllable burst  of  applause. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  IJNCOL.N.  41 

The  train  arrived  at  Decatur  at  half  past  nine.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  almost  as  well  known  there  as  at  Spring- 
field. An  immense  multitude  assembled  at  the  depot, 
broke  out  with  enthusiastic  cheers  as  the  car  bearing 
the  President  elect  came  alongside. 

Mr.  Lincoln  left  his  car  and  moved  through  the 
crowd  of  old  friends,  shaking  hands  to  the  right  and 
left.  But  a  few  moments  stoppage  only  was  allowed 
and  he  was  borne  away,  followed  by  the  prayers  and 
good  wishes  of  thousands  of  loyal  hearts.  The  train 
passed  the  junction  south  of  Lafayette.  At  that  and 
nearly  all  towns  and  stations  crowds  of  people  waited 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  man  in  whom  the  hopes  of 
the  nation  were  centred.  He  reached  Indianapolis  at 
five  oclock,  p.  m.,  to  find  at  least  twenty  thousand 
people  assembled  about  the  depot,  and  to  be  welcomed 
by  a  speech  from  Governor  Morton  amid  the  firing 
of  thirty-four  guns.  A  procession  in  which  both 
houses  of  the  Indiana  Legislature  participated,  escort- 
ed the  Presidential  party  to  the  Bates  House,  from 
the  balcony  of  which  Mr.  Lincoln  delivered  a  brief 
address.  On  the  twelfth  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  party 
proceeded  on  a  special  train.  Mr.  Lincoln  showed 
himself  on  the  platform  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  the 
people  at  Shelbyville,  Greensburg,  Lawrenceburg  and 
other  places.  A  family  group  were  assembled  near 
the  old  home  of  President  Harrison,  to  whom  Mr. 
Lincoln  bowed  his  respects  as  the  train  passed.  This 
was  the  fifty-second  anniversary  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
birth  day. 

At  Cincinnati  he  was  greeted  by  a  throng  of  peo- 
ple estimated  at  one  hundred  thousand,  and  was  con- 
ducted to  a  splendid  carriage  drawn  by  six  white 
horses,  and  escorted  to  the  Burnet  House,  arriving 
there  at  five  o'clock,  p.  m.  On  the  balcony  of  the 
Burnet  House  Mayor  John  M.  Bishop  delivered  an 
address  of  welcome,  which  was  responded  to  at  some 
length  by  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  was  afterwards  waited 


42  I/TFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

on  bv  a  delegation  of  two  thousand  Germans.  A  large 
number  of  Kentuckians  were  among  the  assembled 
multitude. 

On  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth,  at  nine  o'clock, 
the  Presidential  party  started  from  the  Little  Miami 
depot.  At  all  the  stations  from  Cincinnati  to  Colum- 
bus large  crowds  were  collected  with  banners,  bands 
of  music  and  artillery,  but  stoppages  were  made  at 
but  few  places.  A  brief  stav  was  made  each  at  Mil- 
ford,  Loveland,  Morrow,  Xenia  and  London.  At 
Xenia  an  immense  multitude  awaited  the  arrival  of 
the  train,  and  after  a  few  words  from  the  President  a 
scramble  was  made  to  take  him  by  the  hand,  but, 
much  as  he  desired  to  gratify  them,  he  felt  compelled 
to  retreat  into  the  car.  At  London  the  demonstration 
was  fully  equal  to  that  at  Xenia ;  the  whole  population 
was  out.  About  three  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the  President 
elect  was  received  at  the  capital  of  Ohio  by  about 
twenty  thousand  people  amid  the  firing  of  thirty-four 
guns,  corresponding  to  the  number  of  States  of  which 
the  Union  was  then  composed.  A  correspondent  on 
the  train  says  the  population  seemed  to  be  doubled 
and  all  in  the  streets. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  escorted  to  the  State  House  and 
introduced  by  Governor  Dennison  to  the  two  legis- 
lative bodies  assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  He  was  then  conducted  to  the 
western  steps  of  the  Capital,  where  he  spoke  a  few 
words  to  the  vast  multitude,  after  which  he  was  con- 
ducted to  the  mansion  of  Governor  Dennison.  In 
the  evening  he  held  a  reception  at  the  Capital,  where 
a  general  hand-shaking  was  indulged  in  for  a  short 
time. 

The  electorial  vote  was  counted  at  Washington 
that  day,  and  the  result  made  known  to  Mr.  Lincoln 
by  special  telegram  that  afternoon. 

On  Thursday  morning  the  fourteenth,  notwith- 
standing the  heavy  rain,  a  large  number  of  people 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  43 

were  at  the  depot  to  witness  the  departure  of  the 
train  at  eight  o'clock.  Large  crowds  of  people  were 
standing  in  the  rain  at  Newark.  Frazeysburg,  Dresden, 
Coshocton,  Newcomerstown  and  many  other  stations 
to  catch  a  passing  view  of  their  chosen  ruler.  At 
Cadiz  Junction  a  sumptuous  dinner  was  in  waiting 
and  was  eargerly  relished  by  all.  At  Steubenville 
about  five  thousand  people  were  in  waiting,  to  whom 
Mr.  Lincoln  delivered  a  brief  address. 

It  was  night  when  the  party  arrived  at  Alleganey 
City,  and  passed  over  into  Pittsburg.  The  continued 
falling  rain  interfered  with  the  demonstration  it  was 
intended  to  make.  At  the  Monongahela  House  Mr. 
Lincoln  addressed  a  large  concourse  of  people  from 
the  balcony  that  evening  and  again  the  next  morning. 
The  speaking  was  done  to  gratify  the  intense  desire  of 
the  people  to  see  and  hear  him.  Personally  Mr.  Lin- 
coln would  have  preferred  to  say  nothing  until  he 
spoke  to  the  people  in  his  inaugural  address. 

Friday  morning,  the  fifteenth,  rain  was  still  pour- 
ing down  when  the  train  left  Pittsburg,  but  there 
was  a  dense  mass  of  human  beings  extending  several 
blocks  on  every  side  of  the  depot,  who  cheered  the 
departing  guests  with  enthusiasm. 

As  on  the  previous  days,  crowds  were  collected  at 
every  station.  They  were  very  large  and  imposing  at 
Rochester,  Beaver,  Industry,  Liverpool,  Wellsville, 
Yellow  Creek,  Irondale,  Franklin,  Hanover,  Bayard, 
and  nearly  all  the  intervening  stations  on  the  line. 
At  many  of  these  the  train  did  not  stop,  and  tired  as 
the  President  was,  he  bowed  his  respects  to  them  from 
the  platform  of  the  cars. 

At  Alliance  another  sumptuous  dinner  was  in  wait- 
ing. As  the  train  moved  up  a  salute  was  fired,  a  band 
played  national  airs  and  a  company  of  Zuaves  stood 
guard  while  the  party  dined.  The  train  stopped  at 
Ravenna,  Hudson,  Newburg  and  other  stations  where 
large  crowds  were  assembled,  arriving  at  Cleveland, 


44  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

amid  the  roar  of  artillery,  at  twenty  minutes  past  four 
o'clock,  p.  m.  Military  and  fire  companies  were  out, 
and  made  a  fine  display.  The  President  was  con- 
ducted to  a  splendid  carriage  drawn  by  four  white 
horses,  and  escorted  through  snow  and  mud  to  the 
Weddell  House,  where  a  speech  of  welcome  was  made 
by  the  Mayor  and  responded  to  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 
Boquets  and  floral  wreaths  were  showered  upon  him, 
and  hand-shaking  followed,  until  the  President  elect 
could  endure  it  no  longer,  and  he  was  permitted  to 
retire. 

Saturday  morning,  February  sixteenth,  was  bright 
and  beautiful.  At  nine  o'clock  the  Presidential  par- 
ty left  Cleveland,  Mr.  Lincoln  bowing  his  farewell 
from  the  platform  of  the  rear  car  to  the  immense 
multitude  of  people.  Crowds  were  collected  at  about 
forty  stations  on  the  line  to  Buffalo.  Stoppages  were 
made  at  Painesville,  Geneva,  Ashtabula,  Girard,Erie, 
Westfield,  Dunkirk,  Silver  Creek  and  a  few  other 
points.  At  Geneva  one  of  the  crowd  addressed  Mr. 
Lincoln,  exhorting  him  to  stand  by  the  constitution 
and  liberty,  and  assuring  him  that  he  would  have  the 
support  of  the  people.  After  dinner  at  Erie  the 
President  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  immense  crowd 
assembled  to  see  him.  At  Dunkirk,  while  addressing 
the  citizens,  Mr.  Lincoln  grasped  the  staff  of  the 
American  flag  and  expressed  his  intention  to  uphold 
it,  and  asked  the  people  to  stand  by  him.  The  hearty 
response  assured  him  that  he  could  rely  on  them  for 
support.  On  arriving  at  Buffalo  there  were  twenty 
thousand  people  anxiously  awaiting  to  do  honor  to 
their  chosen  Chief  Magistrate.  A  deputation  of  citi- 
zens with  Ex-President  Fillmore  at  their  head,  between 
whom  and  Mr.  Lincoln  a  hearty  greeting  took  place,  a 
military  company  and  the  police  escorted  the  party  to 
the  American  Hotel,  but  the  crowd  was  so  dense  that 
Major  Hunter,  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  had  his  shoulder  dislo- 
cated. The  buildings  along  the  line  of  march  were 


LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  45 

nearly  all  decked  with  flags.  At  the  hotel  Mayor 
Bemis  made  a  welcoming  speech,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln 
replied,  apologizing  for  not  speaking  at  greater  length, 
and  promising  to  do  better  when  he  should  arrive  at 
the  capital  of  the  nation.  A  single  quotation  will 
illustrate  the  spirit  he  manifested  in  all  his  speeches. 
He  said:  "lam  unwilling,  on  any  occasion,  that  T 
should  be  so  meanly  thought  of  as  to  have  it  supposed 
fora  moment  that  these  demonstrations  are  tendered  to 
me  personally;  they  should  be  tendered  to  no  individ- 
ual, but  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  and  to  the 
perpetuation  of  the  liberties  of  the  country.  Your 
worthy  Mayor  has  thought  fit  to  express  the  hope  that 
T  may  be  able  to  relieve  the  country  from  the  present, 
or  I  should  say  the  threatened  difficulties.  I  am  sure 
T  bring  a  heart  true  to  the  work.  For  the  ability  to 
perform  it  I  must  trust — through  the  instrumentality 
of  this  great  and  intelligent  people — in  that  Supreme 
Being  who  has  never  forsaken  this  favored  land. 
Without  that  assistance  I  shall  surely  fail ;  with  it  I 
cannot ! " 

The  rooms  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion were  opposite  the  American  Hotel.  From  these 
were  displayed  a  large  banner  bearing  the  inscription, 
"We  will  pray  for  you." 

The  Presidential  party  spent  the  Sabbath  in  Buf- 
falo, and  on  Monday  morning,  February  18th,  were 
escorted  to  the  depot  by  a  company  of  the  74th  N.  Y. 
militia.  The  train  departed  a  quarter  before  six 
o'clock,  amid  the  cheers  of  a  large  concourse  of  people. 

From  Buffalo  to  Albany  there  are  nearly  a  hundred 
stations,  where  crowds  were  assembled  to  catch  a  pass- 
ing view  of  the  nation's  chosen  ruler,  but  we  can  only 
give  room  to  a  small  number  of  them  at  which  stop- 
pages were  made. 

At  Batavia  the  train  stopped  but  a  few  moments, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  bowed  his  acknowledgments  to  the 
hearty  greeting  of  the  large  crowds  assembled  at  the 
depot. 


46  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  IJNCOT.N. 

The  train  arrived  at  Rochester  at  eight  o'clock  to 
find  a  large  number  of  people  anxious  to  see  the 
President  elect.  The  few  minutes  stay  were  occupied 
by  a  brief  speech  of  welcome  by  Mayor  Scranton  and 
an  equally  brief  reply  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 

At  Clyde  a  large  crowd  greeted  the  Presidential 
party  with  enthusiastic  cheers. 

At  Syracuse  ten  thousand  people  greeted  the  Presi- 
dent elect  with  cheers.  A  platform  had  been  erected 
and  a  live  eagle  placed  upon  it.  Mr.  Lincoln  declined 
to  mount  the  platform  for  want  of  time,  but  spoke  a 
few  words  of  apology. 

At  Utica  thousands  of  people  were  standing  in  a 
snow  storm,  and,  as  the  train  come  up,  cheered  the 
President  elect,  accompanied  with  the  firing  of  a 
salute.  Here  Mr.  Lincoln  was  induced  to  ascend  a 
platform,  where  he  was  introduced  by  the  Mayor. 
He  excused  himself  from  speaking,  saying  that  he 
simply  appeared  to  thank  them  for  the  reception — to 
see  them  and  give  them  an  opportunity  to  see  him — 
and  humorously  expressing  the  opinion  that  so  far  as 
the  ladies  were  concerned  he  had  the  best  of  the 
sight. 

At  Little  Falls,  as  the  train  stopped,  the  church 
bells  rang  out  merry  peals,  and  the  crowd  clamored 
for  a  speech,  but  had  to  content  themselves  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  bowing  his  acknowledgments. 

At  Fonda,  Amsterdam  and  Schenectady  the  people 
seemed  to  have  turned  out  en  masse  to  welcome  the 
President  elect. 

At  twenty  minutes  past  two  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the 
train  reached  Albany,  amid  the  firing  of  cannon  and 
the  cheers  of  an  immense  multitude  of  people.  The 
President  elect  was  received  by  Mayor  Thatcher  in  a 
neat  welcoming  speech.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  excus- 
ing himself  from  extended  remarks,  as  he  expected 
to  appear  before  the  Legislative  bodies.  The  Presi- 
dential party  were  then  taken  in  carriages  and,  escorted 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  T,INCOT,N.  47 

bvthe  military,  were  driven  to  the  State  Capital,  where 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  taken  to  the  Executive  Chamber  and 
introduced  to  Governor  Morgan.  The  two  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  front  of  the  Capital  to  find  the  Park 
filled  with  an  immense  multitude,  even  loading  the 
trees  and  covering  every  available  standing  place,  all 
anxious  to  see  the  President  elect  and  hear  him  speak. 
Governor  Morgan  made  a  brief  welcoming  speech,  to 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  replied.  The  crowd  was  so  vast 
that  he  could  not  be  heard  and  only  bowed  his  re- 
sponse to  their  enthusiastic  welcome.  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  conducted  from  here  into  the  Assembly  Chamber, 
where  he  was  introduced  to  the  two  Houses  of  the 
Legislature  of  New  York,  assembled  together  to  wel- 
come him.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  in  a  brief  speech, 
acknowledging  the  courtesies  received,  but  declining 
to  go  into  a  detailed  statement  of  the  policy  he  should 
pursue,  preferring  to  do  that  in  his  inaugural  address. 
At  the  close  of  these  ceremonies  the  General  Assem- 
bly took  a  recess  for  the  exchange  of  friendly  greet- 
ings, after  which  the  distinguished  guest  was  conducted 
to  his  carriage  and  escorted  to  the  Delavan  House. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  the  city  and  was  escorted 
along  Broadway,  he  was  greeted  by  a.  large  canvass 
extended  across  the  street  bearing  the  inscription, 
"  Welcome  to  the  Capital  of  the  Empire  State.  No 
more  compromises." 

The  Presidential  party  left  Albany  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, the  19th,  at  eight  o'clock.  The  train  ran  up  the 
west  side  of  the  Hudson  river,  crossing  at  Troy,  where 
a  raised  platform  had  been  prepared  to  afford  the  vast 
crowd  an  opportunity  to  see  the  President  elect.  On 
ascending  the  platform  Mr.  Lincoln  was  welcomed  by 
Mayor  McConike,  who  said  :  "  Mr.  Lincoln  I  have 
the  honor  to  welcome  you  on  behalf  of  the  citizens 
of  Troy,  not  as  a  politician,  not  as  a  partisan,  but  as 
the  chosen  Chief  Magistrate  of  thirty  millions  of 
people,  and  to  assure  you  of  our  respect  for  you  as  a 


48  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

citizen,  and  for  the  high  office  you  are  so  soon  to  fill." 
Mr.  Lincoln  replied  in  brief  but  appropriate  terms. 
At  least  fifteen  thousand  persons  were  assembled  at 
the  depot. 

The  stations  on  the  Hudson  river  railroad  each  had 
their  crowds  of  people  anxious  to  see,  if  it  was  but  a 
passing  view  of  the  President  elect  on  his  way  down 
to  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  nation.  Few 
stoppages  were  made,  but  at  Poughkeepsie  it  halted 
long  enough  for  the  Mayor  of  that  city  to  make  a 
formal  address  of  welcome,  which  was  happily  re- 
sponded to  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 

The  train  reached  the  city  of  New  York  about  ten 
o'clock.  The  reception  was  grand  and  imposing. 
Places  of  business  were  closed  and  flags  displayed  along 
the  line  of  the  procession.  The  family  of  the  Presi- 
dent was  driven  in  carriages  directly  to  the  Astor 
House,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  was  escorted  to  the  City  Hall, 
where  he  was  received  by  an  address  of  welcome  from 
Mayor  Wood,  which  was  responded  to  in  fitting  terms 
by  Mr.  Lincoln,  both  expressing  the  warmest  patriotic 
sentiments.  After  the  speeches  a  general  hand-shak- 
ing ensued,  amid  the  crashing  of  hats  and  tearing  of 
broadcloth.  The  millionaire  and  the  bummers  and 
roughs,  who  have  rendered  New  York  so  famous, 
were  mingled  in  delightful  confusion.  The  bare 
thought  of  shaking  hands  with  all  who  came  was  a 
terror  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  about  one  o'clock  he  made 
his  way  to  the  balcony  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  the 
people.  He  told  them  that  he  came  to  see  them  and 
to  put  himself  where  they  could  see  him,  but  gave 
it  as  his  opinion  that,  so  far  as  sight  seeing  was  con- 
cerned, he  had  the  best  of  the  show.  It  was  estimated 
that  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  people  were  in  the 
streets  trying  to  obtain  a  passing  view  of  the  chosen 
ruler  of  the  nation.  By  unusual  efforts  on  the  part 
of  the  police,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  escorted  to  the  Astor 
House. 


LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  49 

The  Presidential  party  left  New  York  on  the 
morning  of  the  twentieth,  at  eight  o'clock,  crossing 
the  Hudson  river  and  taking  the  cars  at  Jersey  City. 
An  immense  concourse  of  people  were  in  waiting  at 
the  depot  to  catch  a  passing  view  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 
The  train  reached  Newark  at  half  past  nine  in  a  snow 
storm.  Mayor  Bigelow  welcomed  Mr.  Lincoln  in  a 
brief  address,  who  made  an  equally  brief  reply.  The 
party  were  then  taken  from  the  cars  at  the  Morris  and 
Essex  depot  and  escorted  by  a  party  of  about  one 
hundred  on  horseback  to  the  Chesnut  street  depot. 
They  passed  along  Broad  street,  which  was  lined  with 
patriotic  devices.  As  the  train  moved  off  Mr.  Lin- 
coln bowed  his  thanks  to  the  vast  throng  for  their 
reception. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  the  train  reached  Trenton, 
amid  the  cheers  of  a  vast  multitude  of  people.  An 
address  of  welcome  to  the  chosen  Chief  Magistrate 
was  extended  by  Mayor  Mills,  who  introduced  him  to 
the  members  of  the  city  government.  The  party  was 
then  taken  in  carriages  and  escorted  to  the  State 
House  by  a  body  of  one  hundred  horsemen.  At  the 
Capital  Mr.  Lincoln  was  received  in  a  welcoming 
speech  by  the  President  of  the  Senate.  In  his  reply 
Mr.  Lincoln  made  a  happy  allusion  to  some  incidents 
of  the  historic  struggle  for  Independence,  of  which 
Trenton  was  the  scene  of  action.  He  was  then  con- 
ducted to  the  House  of  Representatives  and  was  wel- 
comed by  its  Speaker.  In  Mr.  Lincoln's  reply  his 
patriotic  utterances  with  reference  to  the  threatened 
troubles  elicited  rounds  of  applause.  He  was  then 
escorted  to  the  Trenton  House,  where  he  spoke  brief- 
ly to  the  crowd  outside,  estimated  at  twenty  thousand 
persons.  After  partaking  of  a  collation  the  train 
moved  across  the  Dele  ware  river  and  proceeded  to 
Philadelphia  in  charge  of  a  committee  from  that  city. 
At  four  o'clock,  p.  m.,  February  20th,  the  train  ar- 
rived at  the  Kensington  depot,  Philadelphia.  The 
4 


50  LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Presidential  party  were  escorted  in  carriages  to  the 
Continental" Hotel.  One  hundred  thousand  persons 
were  in  the  procession  or  lined  the  streets  along  which 
the  party  passed.  The  Mayor  of  the  city  delivered 
an  address  of  welcome  on  the  balcony  of  the  hotel,  to 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  declining,  however,  to  go 
into  any  exposition  of  his  policy,  and  barely  hinting 
at  the  possibility  that  he  might  never  be  inducted  in- 
to office.  He  said :  "  It  were  useless  for  me  to 
speak  of  details  or  plans  now  ;  I  shall  speak  officially 
next  Monday  week,  if  ever.  If  I  were  not  to  speak 
then,  it  were  useless  for  me  to  speak  now." 


CHAPTER    IV. 


On  the  day  Mr.  Lincoln  left  Springfield,  obstruc- 
tions were  placed  on  the  railroad  track  at  a  point  in 
the  road  near  the  line  between  the  States  of  Illinois 
and  Indiana,  but  it  was  discovered  in  time  to  avert 
the  danger.  At  Cincinnati  a  deadly  missle  was  found 
concealed  in  one  of  the  cars  of  the  train  on  which  he 
traveled,  but  was  removed  before  any  damage  was  , 
done.  From  these  circumstances  he  knew  that  his  life 
was  in  danger  at  every  step,  but  the  first  allusion  to 
it  was  in  reply  to  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  and  that 
was  hinted  at  so  obscurely  that  it  would  not  have  been 
noticed  were  it  not  for  subsequent  events.  It  had 
been  whispered,  before  Mr.  Lincoln  left  home  that  he 
would  never  be  permitted  to  pass  through  Baltimore 
alive,  and  without  his  knowledge  an  experienced  de- 
tective was  employed  to  ferret  out  the  conspiracy.  He 
employed  both  men  and  women  to  assist  him.  He 
found  out  beyond  a  doubt  that  a  plot  was  formed  for 
a  party  of  conspirators  to  crowd  around  him  in  the 
guise  of  friends,  and  at  a  given  signal  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  to  be  shot  or  stabbed.  A  "vessel  was  to  be  kept  in 
waiting  upon  which  the  assassins  were  to  make  their 
escape. 

The  detective  and  Mr.  Lincoln  arrived  in  Philadel- 
phia nearly  at  the  same  time.  Some  of  the  President's 
personal  friends  were  advised  of  the  information  he 
had  secured.  An  interview  was  at  once  held  between 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  detective,  in  the  room  of  the  lat- 
ter at  the  Continental  Hotel.  This  was  on  the  21st. 
It  had  been  arranged  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  raise 


52  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

the  American  flag;  on  Independence  Hall  the  follow- 
ing morning,  it  being  the  anniversary  of  Washington's 
birthday.  He  had  also  accepted  an  invitation  to  a  re- 
ception by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day.  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  "Both  of 
these  engagements  I  will  keep,  if  it  costs  me  my  life." 
Beyond  that  he  left  the  arrangements  for  his  safe  con- 
duct to  Washington,  to  the  detective  and  his  friends. 

Gen.  Scott  and  Senator  Seward,  both  of  whom  were 
in  Washington,  had  learned  from  separate  sources  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  danger  of  being  slain.  The  two 
concurred  in  sending  Mr.  Frederick  W.  Seward  to 
Philadelphia  to  inform  him  of  his  danger.  Mr.  F. 
W.  Seward  arrived  late  on  the  night  of  the  21st,  after 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  retired.  Being  first  satisfied  that  the 
messenger  was  indeed  the  son  of  Mr.  Seward,  he  ad- 
mitted him  to  an  interview.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in- 
formed of  the  plan  already  arranged  by  the  detective 
for  the  President  to  proceed  in  advance  of  his  family 
and  party  so  as  to  pass  through  Baltimore  in  the  night 
and  arrive  at  Washington  early  Saturday  morning. 
On  Mr.  Seward's  return  to  Washington  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  Mr.  Washburn,  of  Illinois,  should  meet 
Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  depot  on  his  arrival. 

The  details  of  his  passage  through  Baltimore  being 
settled,  the  next  Morning  Mr.  Lincoln  visited  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  and  was  formally  welcomed  to  the  city. 
In  response  he  delivered  a  brief  address,  in  which  he 
discussed  the  principles  embodied  in  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  which  had  been  prepared  and  pro- 
mulgated from  that  Hall.  He  then  said :  "  Now,  my 
friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  upon  this  basis?  If 
it  can,  I  will  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest  men 
in  the  world,if  Icanhelpto  save  it.  If  it  can  not  be 
saved  upon  that  principle,  it  will  be  truly  awful.  But 
if  this  country  cannot  be  saved  without  giving  up  that 
principle,  I  was  about  to  say  I  would  rather  be  assas- 
sinated oil  this  spot  than  surrender  it." 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  53 

At  the  close  of  the  speech,  he  was  conducted  to  a 
platform  outside,  and  publicly  invited  to  raise  the  new 
flag.  Tn  responding  to  the  invitation,  he  addressed  a 
few  words  to  the  people,  and  then  ran  the  flag  to  the 
top  of  the  staff,  amid  the  cheers  of  a  vast  concourse 
of  people. 

These  ceremonies  being  concluded,  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
his  party  left  the  city  for  Harrisburg,  the  capital  of 
the  State,  where  he  visited  both  branches  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature,  in  response  to  the  address  of  wel- 
come, he  recounted  the  scenes  and  incidents  of  the 
morning,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  it  was  the  anni- 
versary of  the  birth  of  Washington. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  wearied  with  the  fatigue  connect- 
ed with  the  exercises  of  the  day,  and  was  permitted 
to  retire  to  his  appartments  at  the  Jones  House.  It 
was  understood  by  the  public  that  he  was  to  start  for 
Washington  the  next  morning.  He  remained  in  his 
rooms  until  nearly  six  o'clock,  when  he  went  into  the 
street  unobserved,  and,  with  Colonel  Lamon,  was*driv- 
en  to  a  special  train  on  the  Pennsylvania  Central  rail- 
road. To  prevent  the  intelligence  of  his  departure 
from  being  communicated,  if  it  should  be  discovered, 
the  telegraph  wires  were  all  cut  the  moment  the  train 
left  Harrisburg.  This  train  ran  back  to  Philadelphia, 
arriving  at  half  past  ten  o'clock.  The  detective  had 
a  carriage  in  waiting,  in  which  the  party  were  driven 
to  the  depot  of  the  Philadelphia,  Wilmington  and 
Baltimore  railroad.  They  arrived  at  the  depot  at  a 
quarter  past  eleven  o'clock,  and  found  the  regular  train 
which  should  have  left  at  eleven,  delayed.  The  party 
took  berths  in  the  sleeping  car,  and  without  change 
passed  directly  through  Baltimore,  arriving  in  Wash- 
ington at  half  past  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sat- 
urday, February  23d,  and  found  Mr.  Wash  burn  anx- 
iously awaiting  him.  He  was  taken  into  a  carriage, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  was  talking  over  his  adventures 
with  Senator  Seward,  at  Willard's  Hotel. 


54  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  family  left  Harrisburg  on  the  train 
that  had  been  intended  for  him,  and  as  his  arrival  in 
Washington  had  been  telegraphed  all  over  the  coun- 
try, they  went  through  Baltimore  without  meeting 
with  any  disturbance.  The  number  of  conspirators 
was  about  twenty,  all  of  whose  names  were  known. 
The  plot  was  a  bold  one,  but  the  ingenuity  of  the  de- 
tective was  too  much  for  them.  His  life  was  not 
thought  to  be  safe  in  Washington,  and  he  was  sent 
away  in  a  day  or  two.  The  story  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
wore  the  disguise  of  a  "long  military  cloak  and  a 
Scotch  cap,"  was  a  falsehood,  written  by  a  man  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  event,  and  hated  Mr.  Lincoln, 
who  did  not  adopt  any  disguise.  The  enemies  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  ridiculed  his  fears,  and  his  friends  were 
ashamed,  and  even  vexed,  that  the  chosen  chief  of  the 
nation  should  consent  to  sneak  into  his  capital.  It 
was  a  shameful  thing  that  he  should  be  obliged  to  do 
so,  but  the  responsibility  was  on  the  other  side.  None 
doubt  now  that  if  false  pride  had  prevented  his  act- 
ing upon  the  advise  of  his  friends,  the  tragedy  would 
have  been  enacted  at  the  beginning  which  proved  to 
be  the  denoument  of  the  rebellion,  and  the  nation  and 
the  world  would  have  been  deprived  of  the  four  years' 
faithful  services  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which  termin- 
ated in  the  emancipation  of  a  race,  and  establishing 
upon  a  basis  of  justice  the  most  powerful  nation  upon 
the  earth — powerful  because  it  is  just. 

The  ten  or  eleven  days  from  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln 
entered  Washington,  to  the  day  of  his  inauguration, 
were  full  of  nervous  anxiety  to  the  loyal  people  of  the 
nation.  It  would  not  have  been  a  surprise  to  them 
if  the  papers  on  any  morning  had  announced  his  as- 
sassination. He  knew  himself  to  be  surrounded  by 
at  least  five  enemies  to  one  friend,  but  he  went  for- 
ward quietly  and  calmly,  preparing  for  the  duties  be- 
fore him,  supported  by  the  firm  conviction  that  he 
was  a  chosen  agent  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  that  He 


LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  55 

would  give  him  all  the  support  necessary  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  His  purposes. 

The  morning  of  March  4,  1861,  opened  beautiful 
and  clear.  Gen.  Scott  and  the  Washington  police 
were  in  readiness  for  the  day.  The  friends  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  loyal  north, 
determined  that  he  should  be  inaugurated.  In  the 
hearts  of  all  was  great  anxiety,  but  outwardly  all 
looked  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  with  the  exception 
of  an  extraordinary  display  of  soldiers.  The  stars 
and  stripes  floated  from  every  flag-staff,  the  public 
buildings,  schools,  and  many  of  the  places  of  business 
were  closed  during  the  day. 

At  five  minutes  before  twelve  o'clock,  Vice  Presi- 
dent Breckenridge  and  Senator   Foote   escorted  Mr. 
Hamlin,   the  Vice   President   elect,   into  the   Senate 
Chamber,  and  gave  him  a  seat  at  the  left  of  the  chair. 
At  twelve  Mr.  Breckenridge  announced  the  Senate  ad- 
journed, and  then  conducted  Mr.  Hamlin  to  the  seat 
he  had  vacated.     The  foreign   diplomats,  of  which 
there   was  a  very  large  and  brilliant  representation, 
then  entered  the  chamber  and  took  the  seats  assigned 
them.     At  a  quarter  before  one  o'clock  the  Judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court  entered,  with  the  aged  Chief  Jus- 
tice Taney  at  their  head.    At  a  quarter  past  one  o'clock 
an  unusual  stir  announced   the  coming  of  the  Presi- 
dent elect,  accompanied   by  the  outgoing  President. 
They  proceeded  to  the  temporary  platform  erected  for 
the   occasion,  ou  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  at  the  east 
front  of  the  capitol,  accompanied  by  the  Marshal  of 
the  District  of   Columbia,  Judges  of   the  Supreme 
Court    Sergeant-at-Arms    and    others    holding    offi- 
cial positions,  which  required  them  to  be  present  on 
such  occasions.     On  arriving  at  the  platform,  Senator 
E.  D.  Baker,  of  Oregon,  who  had  been  a  long  and  in- 
timate friend  and  neighbor  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  introduced 
him  to  the  assembly.     Mr.  Lincoln  then  stepped  for- 
ward and  read  his  inaugural  address.    He  was  listened 


56  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

to  with  profound  attention,  and  by  none  more  careful- 
ly that  President  Buchanan  and  Chief  Justice  Taney, 
The  latter  gentleman,  with  much  agitation,  adminis- 
tered the  oath  of  office  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  when  his  ad- 
dress was  concluded. 

It  deserves  to  be  particularly  mentioned  that  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas,  without  a  particle  of  jealousy  appa- 
rent, and  knowing  the  danger  to  which  he  was  ex- 
posed in  the  event  of  an  attempt  on  the  life  of  the 
President,  stood  patriotically  by  his  side,  and  as  he 
removed  his  hat  before  commencing  to  read,  and  find- 
ing no  place  to  put  it  in  consequence  of  the  proximity 
of  the  crowd,  Mr.  Douglas  politely  extended  his  hand, 
took  the  hat  and  held  it  until  the  close  of  the  address. 
And  after  Mr.  Lincoln  had  taken  the  oath,  Mr.  Doug- 
las was  the  first  to  grasp  his  hand  and  extend  his  con- 
gratulations. 

The  Inaugural  Address  was  a  plain,  straightforward 
talk  with  the  people  of  the  nation.  The  President 
exhorted  them  to  stand  by  the  constitution  and  the 
laws,  and  declared  that  he  took  the  oath  to  do  so, 
without  mental  reservation.  To  those  threatening  the 
destruction  of  the  government,  he  said,  in  closing : 

"  If  it  were  admitted  that  you  who  are  dissatisfied,  hold  the 
right  side  in  this  dispute,  there  is  still  no  single  reason  for  pre- 
cipitate action.  Intelligence,  patriotism,  Christianity,  and  a  firm 
reliance  on  Him  who  has  never  yet  forsaken  this  favored  land, 
are  still  competent  to  adjust,  in  the  best  way,  all  our  present  dif- 
ficulties. 

"  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow  countrymen,  and  not  in 
mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  government 
will  not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being 
yourselves  the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath  registered  in  Hea- 
ven to  destroy  the  government,  while  I  shall  have  the  most  sol. 
emn  one  to  preserve,  protect  and  defend  it. 

"  I  am  loth  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends 
We  must  not  be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have, 
strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds  of  affection.  The 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  57 

mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battle-field  and 
patriot  grave,  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone,  all  over  this 
broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when  again 
touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  na- 
ture." 

Tn  this  tender  strain  did  he  plead  with  them  as  a 
fond  father  with  his  wayward  offspring,  but  it  was  all 
in  vain.  Tn  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office, 
President  Lincoln  found  the  treasury  empty,  the  cred- 
it of  the  government  impaired  by  the  uncertainty  of 
the  future,  and  its  navy  scattered,  leaving  less  than  a 
dozen  ships  in  servicable  condition  to  guard  our 
costs.  The  principal  part  of  the  small  arms  and  can- 
non belonging  to  the  government  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  authorities  of  the  States  which  had  already  se- 
ceded. Forts,  arsenals,  mints  and  vessels  were  seized 
by  the  insurrectionists.  The  troops  of  our  regular 
army  who  would  not  yield  to  the  seductive  influences 
of  traitors,  were  deprived  of  their  arms  and  sent  home 
as  paroled  prisoners  of  war,  by  slow  and  devious 
routes.  The  garrison  of  Fort  Sumter,  in  the  harbor 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  was  drawing  nigh  to 
a  point  of  starvation,  and  no  supplies  could  be  sent  to 
it  except  by  running  the  gauntlet  of  rebel  batteries. 
The  government,  two  months  before  the  close  of  Pres- 
ident Buchanan's  term  of  office,  made  an  attempt  to 
send  troops  and  provisions  to  Major  Anderson,  by  the 
steamer  Star  of  the  West,  a  merchant  vessel,  but  she 
was  fired  upon  and  compelled  to  return. 

Notwithstanding  the  provisions  in  the  fort  were  so 
near  exhausted,  the  assailants  could  not  wait  its  sur- 
render for  want  of  supplies,  but  acting  as  if  they  were 
thirsting  for  blood,  Gen.  Beauregard,  under  directions 
from  the  rebel  Secretary  of  War,  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  the  fort  on  the  twelfth  day  of  April,  1861. 
Major  Anderson  declined  to  surrender.  He  was  then 
called  upon  to  say  when  he  would  evacuate  the  fort. 


58  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

He  replied  that,  should  he  not  .receive  controlling  in- 
structions or  additional  supplies,  he  would  evacuate 
on  the  fifteenth  of  the  month.  He  was  then  notified 
that  in  one  hour  from  the  date  of  the  message,  which 
was  "April  12,  1864,  3:30  A.  M.,"  the  confederate  bat- 
teries, which  he  had  seen  erected  without  authority  to 
interfere  with  them,  would  open  on  Fort  Sumter.  At 
half  past  four  the  batteries  did  open,  and  after  a  siege 
of  thirty-three  hours,  the  garrison  surrendered  on  the 
14th  of  April. 

Major  Robert  Anderson,  and  about  seventy  men, 
marched  out  with  their  side  arms  and  colors.  War 
was  thus  forced  upon  the  nation.  The  overt  act  had 
been  committed  by  the  traitors,  and  there  was  no  al- 
ternative but  to  accept  the  situation.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  April  15th,  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call 
for  75,000  volunteers,  and  an  extra  session  of  Con- 
gress to  assemble  at  Washington  on  the  Fourth  of 
July. 

The  north  needed  just  the  shock  it  had  received. 
The  fall  of  Sumter  was  the  resurrection  of  patriot- 
ism. The  call  for  men  was  responded  to  cordially  and 
promptly  from  all  the  northern  States,  but  the  five 
border  States  hung  back.  Virginia  soon  went  over 
to  the  Secessionists,  and  the  Governor  of  Missouri  at- 
tempted to  take  that  State  over  and  was  foiled  by  the 
great  number  of  Union-loving  Germans  within  its 
borders.  Governor  Jackson  then  fled  to  the  rebels 
alone,  and  died  among  them.  Maryland,  Delaware 
and  Kentucky  halted  long  between  loyalty  and  trea- 
son, trying  to  find  neutral  ground,  but  finally  espoused 
the  Union  cause.  None  of  the  five  border  States 
gave  any  assistance  on  the  first  call.  Some  of  them 
answered  with  insolent  threats  and  defiance. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  being .  the  86th 
anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Massachusetts, 
which  was  the  beginning  of  the  American  Revolution, 
the  first  blood  of  the  war  was  shed  in  the  streets  of 


LJFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  59 

the  city  of  Baltimore,  Maryland.  The  Sixth  Regi- 
ment of  Massachusetts  and  the  Seventh  Regiment  of 
Pennsylvania  volunteers  were  passing  through  Balti- 
more, on  their  way  to  Washington,  and  they  were  at- 
tacked by  a  mob  in  the  streets,  with  stones,  brickbats  and 
other  missies,  from  which  several  were  wounded.  Shots 
were  fired  by  the  mob  and  four  soldiers  were  killed  : 
two  of  the  Massachusetts  regiment,  Ladd  and  Whit- 
ney, from  Lowell,  and  two  of  the  Pennsylvanians, 
Needham  and  Taylor.  After  the  killing  of  their  own 
men,  the  soldiers  fired  upon  the  mob,  killing  eleven 
and  wounding  many  more.  Communications  were  cut 
off  through  Baltimore  until  the  10th  of  May,  when 
Gen.  B.  F.  Butler  took  possession  with  a  strong  force. 

After  actual  hostilities  commenced,  President  Lin- 
coln still  cherished  the  hope  that  the  conflict  would  be 
of  short  duration,  but  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  on  the 
21st  of  July,  in  which  the  Union  forces  were  defeated, 
dispelled  all  hope  of  an  early  settlement  of  the  na- 
tional troubles.  The  cares  of  the  President  were  now 
almost  crushing  The  raising  and  maintaining  of  great 
armies,  settling  the  difficulties  with  England  arising 
from  the  arrest  of  Mason  and  Slidell  on  the  British 
steamer  Trent,  by  Captain  Wilkes,  of  the  U.  S.  frigate 
San  Jacinto,  adjusting  the  serious  and  delicate  ques- 
tions connected  with  slavery,  which  were  constantly 
presenting  themselves,  under  the  movements  of  Gen- 
erals, Hunter,  Butler,  Fremont,  and  other  army  com- 
manders. 

The  beginning  of  1862  was  a  time  of  gloom  and 
despondency  for  the  Union  cause.  As  the  year  wore 
away,  the  necessity,  as  a  war  measure,  for  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  slaves,  was  constantly  pressed  by  army 
officers  and  others  who  were  in  advance  of  the  mass 
of  the  people.  Gen.  McClellan,  however,  between 
his  calls  for  more  men,  more  horses,  more  shoes,  more 
everything,  when  he  had  all  that  could  be  sent,  found 
time  to  protest  against  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves. 


60  LIFF,  OF  ABRAHAM  LTNCOT.X. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1862,  he  wrote  a  long  letter  of 
advice  to  President  Lincoln,  in  which  he  told  him 
that  he  thought  the  war  should  not  look  to  the  subju- 
gation of  the  people  of  any  State,  in  any  event.  That 
there  should  be  no  confiscation,  no  forcible  abolition 
of  slavery. 

In  the  middle  of  1862,  the  events  of  the  war  hav- 
ing gone  from  bad  to  worse,  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to 
think  that  he  must  "change  his  tactics,  or  lose  his 
game."  Under  these  circumstances  he  prepared  his 
original  proclamation  of  emancipation,  without  con- 
sulting his  cabinet  or  giving  them  any  intimation  of 
what  he  was  doing.  In  the  latter  part  of  July,  or 
early  in  August,  he  called  a  cabinet  meeting,  and  all 
were  present  except  Mr.  Blair,  who  arrived  in  time 
for  business,  but  none  of  them  knew  the  object  of  the 
meeting.  After  all  were  ready  for  business,  there  was 
a  delay.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  about  to  inaugurate  the 
crowning  act  of  his  life,  and  he  took  his  own  way  of 
doing  it.  The  pressure  upon  his  mind  had  wrought 
it  up  to  a  high  key.  He  took  from  a  shelf  a  copy  of 
"Artemus  Ward — His  Book,"  and  read  an  entire  chap- 
ter of  its  drollery,  laughing  so  heartily  at  its  contents 
that  some  of  his  dignified  advisers  were  more  pained 
than  amused.  On  closing  the  trifling  volume,  the 
whole  manner  of  the  President  changed  instantly,  and 
rising  to  a  grandeur  of  demeanor  that  inspired  all 
with  profound  respect  akih  to  awe,  he  announced  to 
his  cabinet  the  object  of  the  meeting.  He  had  writ- 
ten a  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  and  had  deter- 
mined to  issue  it ;  therefore,  he  had  not  called  them 
together  to  ask  their  advice  upon  the  main  question, 
as  he  had  determined  that  for  himself.  He  wished  to 
inform  them  of  his  purpose,  and  receive  such  sugges- 
tions upon  minor  points  as  they  might  be  moved  to 
make.  Mr.  Chase  wished  the  language  stronger  with 
regard  to  arming  the  negroes;  Mr.  Blair  thought  it 
would  cost  the  administration  the  fall  elections,  but  he 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  61 

saw  no  occasion  to  make  any  change  until  Mr.  Seward 
said:  "Mr.  President,  I  approve  of  the  Proclama- 
tion, but  I  question  the  expediency  of  its  issue  at  this 
juncture.  The  depression  of  the  public  mind,  conse- 
quent upon  our  repeated  reverses,  is  so  great  that  I 
fear  the  effect  of  so  important  a  step.  It  may  be 
viewed  as  the  last  measure  of  an  exhausted  govern- 
ment; a  cry  for  help;  the  government  stretching  forth 
its  hajids  to  Ethiopia,  instead  of  Ethiopia  stretching 
forth  her  hands  to  the  government ;  our  last  shriek  in 
the  retreat."  Mr.  Seward  thought  it  would  be  best  to 
postpone  it  until  it  could  be  given  to  the  country  after 
a  military  success,  rather  than  after  the  general  dis- 
asters then  prevalent. 

Mr.  Lincoln  admitted  the  force  of  the  objections, 
and  permitted  the  matter  to  be  suspended  for  a  brief 
period.  The  retreat  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  un- 
der General  Pope,  on  Washington,  and  the  invasion 
of  Maryland  soon  followed,  making  the  situation  still 
more  gloomy,  and  the  proclamation  waited,  being  oc- 
casionally taken  out  and  retouched.  At  last  the  bat- 
tle of  Antietam  came,  with  victory  to  the  Union  arms. 
The  battle  of  Antietam  was  fought  on  Wednesday, 
the  17th  of  September,  but  it  was  not  until  Saturday 
that  it  was  certainly  known  to  be  a  victory,  and  it 
was  too  late  to  issue  the  proclamation  that  week,  but 
Mr.  Lincoln  held  a  cabinet  meeting  that  day,  at  which 
he  declared  that  the  time  for  promulgating  the  eman- 
cipation policy  had  arrived.  Public  sentiment,  he 
thought,  would  sustain  it  ;  many  of  his  warmest 
friends  and  supporters  demanded  it,  and  in  a  low  and 
reverent  tone  he  said:  "  I  have  promised  my  God  that 
I  will  do  it."  Mr.  Chase  said,  '*  Do  I  understand  you 
correctly,  Mr.  President."  Mr.  Lincoln  replied;  "I 
made  a  solemn  vow  before  God  that  if  General  Lee 
should  be  driven  back  from  Pennsylvania,  1  would 
crown  the  result  by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the 
slaves." 


62  LJFR  OF  ABRAHAM    LTNCOLX. 

On  Sunday  Mr.  Lincoln  retouched  it  a  little,  and 
on  Monday,  September  22,  1 862,  the  proclamation  was 
issued,  declaring  that,  at  the  end  of  one  hundred  days, 
or  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1863,  he  would  issue 
another  proclamation,  declaring  that,  "All  persons 
held  as  slaves  within  any  State,  or  designated  part  of 
a  State,  the  people  whereof  shall  then  be  in  rebellion 
against  the  United  States,  shall  be  thenceforward  and 
forever  free." 


CHAPTER   V. 


There  was  not  the  slightest  attention  given  to  the" 
proclamation,  neither  was  it  expected  that  there  would 
be.  The  one  hundred  days  expired  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  1863,  and  OH  that  day  President  Lincoln 
issued  the  proclamation  of  which  he  had  given  pre- 
vious notice.  Tn  the  proclamation  the  President  point- 
ed out  the  States  and  parts  of  States  in  which  it  should 
take  effect.  By  that  proclamation  about  three  mill- 
ions of  slaves  were  made  free.  Simultaneous  with  its 
publication  came  the  victory  to  the  Union  arms  at 
Stone's  River,  and  a  general  advance  on  the  rebels  east 
and  west.  From  that  time  forward  the  Union  forces 
were  victorious  in  almost  every  engagement.  As 
midsummer  approached,  the  military  operations  in  the 
west  were  chiefly  concentrated  on  Vicksburg  as  the 
key  to  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The 
rebel  forces  in  Virginia,  under  General  Lee,  com- 
menced the  invasion  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania 
in  June.  They  were  opposed  by  the  army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, under  General  Hooker.  While  the  two  armies 
were  running  a  race  across  the  State  of  Maryland, 
Gen.  Hooker  was  relieved  and  Gen.  Meade  placed  in 
command.  The  two  armies  came  into  collision  at 
Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  first  of  July.  The 
battle  raged  with  teriffic  f\iry  for  three  days.  On  the 
night  of  the  third  it  was  evident  that  the  rebels  were 
defeated.  President  Lincoln  announced  the  fact  on 
the  Fourth  by  a  dispatch  sent  over  the  whole  coun- 
try under  control  of  the  government.  He  alluded  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  the  aniversary  of  the  Declaration 


64  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

of  Independence,  and  closed  by  the  invocation,  that : 
"  He  whose  will,  not  ours,  should  ever  be  done,  be 
everywhere  remembered  and  renewed  with  profound- 
est  gratitude."  This  was  only  half  the  work  for  the 
glorious  day.  On  that  day  the  entire  rebel  force  at 
Vicksburg,  amounting  to  about  thirty  thousand  men, 
200  cannon,  and  70,000  stand  of  small  arms,  under 
Gen.  Pemberton,  surrendered  to  Gen.  Grant.  The  recon- 
secration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  to  freedom  was  most 
grand,  and  inspired  the  loyal  people  of  the  nation  with 
new  courage  to  press  forward  to  the  task  of  crushing 
the  rebellion. 

The  State  of  Pennsylvania  purchased  a  piece  of  land 
adjoining  the  cemetery  of  the  town,  where  much  of 
the  fighting  had  been  done,  among  broken  monuments 
and  tombs,  and  over  the  graves  of  those  who  had  died 
and  been  buried  in  peaceful  times,  and  set  it  apart  as 
a  burying  ground  for  the  loyal  soldiers  who  had  there 
yielded  up  their  lives  a  willing  sacrifice  on  the  altar 
of  freedom.  The  ground  was  dedicated  on  the  19th 
of  November,  1863,  by  an  oration  from  the  Hon.  Ed- 
ward Everett,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his 
cabinet,  and  a  large  concourse  of  people  assembled  to 
take  part  in  the  exercises.  After  the  oration  by  Mr. 
Everett,  the  President  delivered  a  brief  address  from 
which  I  take  an  extract : 

"Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth  upon 
this  continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated 
to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal.  Now  we  are 
engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing  whether  that  nation,  or  any 
nation  so  conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are 
met  on  a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We  have  come  to  dedi- 
cate a  portion  of  that  field  as  a  final  resting  place  for  those  who 
here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation  might  live.  It  is  altogether 
fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  do  this.  But  in  a  larger  sense 
we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this 
ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here, 
have  consecrated  it  far  above  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  65 

world  will  little  note,  nor  long  remember,  what  we  say  here,  but 
it  can  never  forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living, 
rather  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they, 
who  fought  here,  have  thus  far  so  nobly  advanced.  It  is  rather 
for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us, 
that,  from  these  honored  dead,  we  take  increased  devotion  to 
that  cause  for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion ; 
that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in 
vain;  that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  free- 
dom, and  that  the  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and 
for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

During  the  latter  part  of  1863,  the  success  of  the 
Union  arras  almost  everywhere  was  so  grand  that  the 
President  issued  one  proclamation  after  another,  call- 
ing on  the  people  to  assemble  in  their  places  of  wor- 
ship and  offer  up  thanks  to  Almighty  God.  He  called 
upon  the  people  to  honor  and  reverence  God  for  the 
success  at  Gettysburg,  himself  publicly  thanked  Al- 
mighty God  for  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  and  on  the  fif- 
teenth of  July  issued  a  proclamation  setting  apart  the 
sixth  of  August  to  be  observed  as  a  day  for  national 
thanksgiving,  praise  and  prayer,  inviting  the  people 
to  render  the  homage  due  to  the  Divine  Majesty  for 
the  wonderful  things  he  had  done  in  the  nation's  be- 
half, and  to  invoke  the  influences  of  His  Holy  Spirit 
to  subdue  the  anger  which  had  produced  and  so  long 
sustained  a  needless  and  cruel  rebellion ;  to  change 
the  hearts  of  the  insurgents  ;  to  guide  the  counsels  of 
the  government  with  wisdom  adequate  to  so  great  a 
national  emergency,  and  to  visit  with  tender  care  and 
consolation,  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  our 
land,  all  those  who,  through  the  vicissitudes  of 
marches,  voyages,  battles  and  seiges,  had  been  brought 
to  suffer  in  mind,  body  or  estate ;  and,  finally,  to  lead 
the  whole  nation  through  paths  of  repentance  and 
submission  to  the  Divine  Will,  back  to  the  perfect  en- 
joyment of  union  and  fraternal  peace. 
5 


66  LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

On  the  third  of  October  he  issued  another  procla- 
mation of  thanksgiving,  setting  apart  the  last  Thurs- 
day of  November  as  the  day  to  be  observed.  This 
latter  was  more  in  the  nature  of  an  annual  thanksgiv- 
ing. But  having  heard  of  the  retreat  of  the  rebel 
forces  from  East  Tennessee,  he  issued  a  dispatch  on 
the  seventh  of  December  recommending  all  loyal  peo- 
ple, on  the  receipt  of  the  information,  to  assemble  at 
their  places  of  Worship  and  render  special  homage  and 
gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  this  great  advance- 
ment of  the  national  cause. 

The  beginning  of  1864  found  the  financial  difficul- 
ties of  the  country  most  formidable,  as  the  national 
currency  had  so  far  depreciated  that  it  required  $280 
in  currency  to  buy  $100  in  gold.  Secretary  Chase,  of 
the  Treasury  department,  resigned  the  position,  and 
was  followed  by  Mr.  Fessenden,  of  Maine,  as  his  suc- 
cessor. In  May,  General  Grant  commenced  his  cam- 
paign in  Virginia,  where  each  day's  slaughter  was  al- 
most equal  to  an  army,  and  Sherman,  at  the  same 
time,  moved  against  the  rebels,  from  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee,  into  Georgia.  This  was  the  commence- 
ment of  his  march  of  a  thousand  miles  to  the  sea, 
making  pauses  only  at  Atlanta,  reaching  the  sea  at 
Savannah,  thence  north  to  Goldsboro  he  swept  as 
with  a  besom  of  destruction  through  the  rebel  terri- 
tory, and  at  last  brought  their  forces  to  surrender  af- 
ter almost  a  year  of  continuous  marching  and  fighting. 
After  General  Sherman  left  Atlanta,  General  Thomas 
skillfully  planned  his  retreat  on  Nashville,  and  then 
hurled  his  troops  against  the  rebel  forces  under  Hood, 
at  Franklin  and  Nashville,  by  which  that  part  of  the 
rebel  army  was  almost  annihilated. 

During  this  whole  year  the  Union  forces  were  vic- 
torious on  almost  every  battle-field.  Notwithstanding 
the  rebel  armies  were  shattered  and  broken,  they  still 
hoped  for  a  favorable  turn  to  their  cause  by  the  de- 
feat of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  Presidential  election  then 
pending. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  67 

The  Republican  National  Convention  assembled  in 
the  city  of  Baltimore  on  the  eighth  of  June,  1864.  for 
the  purpose  of  nominating  candidates  for  President 
and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  presidential  term, 
during  which  time  call  after  call  and  draft  after  draft 
had  been  made  to  keep  up  the  strength  of  the  army. 
He  had  found  it  necessary  to  remove  hundreds  of 
army  officers  high  in  command,  he  had  given  freedom 
to  more  than  three  million  of  slaves  who  were  re- 
garded as  property  when  he  entered  the  Presidential 
chair,  and  in  all  these  transactions  he  had  displeased 
a  large  number  of  influential  citizens,  which  it  was 
thought  would  make  him  many  enemies.  But  when 
the  Convention  assembled,  and  after  adopting  a  plat- 
form of  principles,  the  next  thing  in  order  was  to  bal- 
lot for  a  Presidential  candidate.  On  the  first  ballot 
every  vote  was  given  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  except  twenty- 
two  from  Missouri,  which,  under  instructions,  were 
given  for  General  Grant.  On  motion  of  one  of  the 
Missouri  delegates  the  nomination  was  made  unani- 
mous. Andrew  Johnson  of  Tennessee  was  nominated 
for  Vice  President.  Ex-Governor  Dennison  of  Ohio 
was  the  President  of  the  Convention,  and  he,  accom- 
panied by  a  committee,  waited  upon  Mr.  Lincoln,  in- 
formed him  of  his  nomination,  and  placed  in  his 
hands  a  copy  of  the  platform  which  had  been  adopted. 
Mr.  Lincoln  replied : 

"Having  served  four  years  in  the  depths  of  a  great  and  yet  un- 
eiided  national  peril,  I  can  view  this  call  to  a  second  term  in  no- 
wise more  nattering  to  myself  than  as  an  expression  of  the  pub- 
lic judgment  that  I  may  better  finish  a  difficult  work  in  which  I 
have  labored  from  the  first,  than  could  any  one  less  severely 
schooled  to  the  task.  In  this  view,  and  with  assured  reliance  on 
that  Almighty  Ruler  who  has  so  graciously  sustained  us  thus  far, 
and  with  increased  gratitude  to  the  generous  people  for  their 
continued  confidence,  I  accept  the  renewed  trust  with  its  yet  on- 
erous and  perplexing  duties  and  responsibilities." 


68  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Gen.  McOlellan  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
President,  and  George  H.  Pendleton  for  Vice  Presi- 
dent. 

During  the  height  of  the  canvass,  President  Lin- 
coln, on  the  eighteenth  of  July,  issued  a  call  for  five 
hundred  thousand  men,  naming  the  number  required 
from  each  State,  and  including  a  proviso  that  if  the 
number  was  not  voluntarily  made  up,  drafting  should 
commence  on  the  fifth  of  September.  His  friends 
feared  that  it  would  cost  him  his  election,  and  urged 
him  to  delay  it.  His  uniform  reply  was  that  the  men 
were  needed,  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  call  for  them,' 
and  that  he  should  do  it  whatever  the  effect  might  be 
upon  himself. 

November  came,  and  with  it  the  day  of  election. 
When  the  electoral  vote  was  counted,  at  the  time 
fixed  by  law,  it  was  found  that,  of  233  votes,  Lincoln 
and  Johnson  had  received  212  as  candidates  for  Pres- 
ident and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.  Mc- 
Clellan  and  Pendleton  received  the  other  21  votes. 
The  total  popular  vote  cast  was  4,015,902,  and  the 
majority  in  favor  of  Lincoln  was  411,428.  In  a  few 
words,  courteously  spoken  to  some  of  his  friends 
who  called  upon  him  on  the  night  of  the  election,  he 
said :  "I  do  not  impugn  the  motives  of  any  one  op- 
posed to  me.  It  is  no  pleasure  to  me  to  triumph  over 
any  one  ;  but  I  give  thanks  to  the  Almighty  for  this 
evidence  of  the  people's  resolution  to  stand  by  free 
government  and  the  rights  of  humanity."  On  another 
occasion,  soon  after  his  election,  he  said:  "It  has 
demonstrated  that  a  people's  government  can  sustain 
a  national  election  in  the  midst  of  a  great  civil  war. 
Until  now,  it  has  not  been  known  to  the  world  that 
this  was  a  possibility."  This  second  election  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  destroyed  the  last  hope  of  the  rebellion. 
From  that  time  their  armies  never  gained  a  substan- 
tial victory. 


LIFE   OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  69 

The  proclamation  of  President  Lincoln,  issued  Jan- 
uary 1,  1863,  gave  freedom  to  about  three  millions  of 
human  beings  who,  until  that  time,  had  been  slaves  ; 
and  declared  that  they  might  be  enlisted  in  the  mili- 
tary services  of  the  United  States.  Much  prejudice 
existed  among  Union  men,  and  even  with  Union  sol- 
diers, against  enrolling  colored  troops.  Governor 
Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  made  the  initial  move  in 
the  northern  States.  He  received  an  order  from  the 
War  Department,  dated  January  20,  1863,  authoriz- 
ing him  to  organize  and  equip  regiments  of  colored 
'men,  to  be  called  United  States  Colored  Troops.  As 
soon  as  this  became  known,  colored  men  flocked  to 
Massachusetts  from  many  of  the  other  States.  The 
example  of  Massachusetts  was  followed  by  Rhode 
Island,  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  Ohio  and  Kansas. 
In  March,  the  Government  sent  Adjutant  General 
Thomas  to  the  Southwest  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing colored  troops.  It  was  but  a  short  time  after  en- 
listment commenced  until  they  were  in  the  field.  By 
their  bravery  in  battle,  they,  at  the  same  time,  assist- 
ed in  subduing  the  rebels  and  conquering  the  preju- 
dices of  the  white  soldiers. 

Regarding  slavery  as  the  sole  cause  of  the  war,  I 
select  the  following  quotations  from  the  annual  mes- 
sage of  President  Lincoln  to  Congress,  December  8, 
1863.  Speaking  of  our  foreign  relations,  he  says : 
"The  supplemental  treaty  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  for  the  suppression  of  the  African 
slave  trade,  made  on  the  17th  day  of  February  last, 
has  been  duly  notified  and  carried  into  execution.  It 
is  believed  that,  so  far  as  American  ports  and  Ameri- 
can citizens  are  concerned,  that  inhuman  and  odious 
traffic  has  been  brought  to  an  end."  Referring  to  the 
condition  of  the  country  at  the  time  of  their  annual 
meeting  a  year  before,  and  contrasting  it  with  the 
present,  he  said : 


70  LIFE   OP   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

"The  preliminary  emancipation  proclamation,  issued  in  Sep- 
tember, was  running  its  assigned  period  to  the  beginning  of  the 
new  year.  A  month  later  the  final  proclamation  came,  includ- 
ing the  announcement  that  colored  men  of  suitable  condition 
would  be  received  into  the  war  service.  The  policy  of  emanci- 
pation and  of  employing  black  soldiers,  gave  to  the  future  a  new 
aspect,  about  which  hope,  and  fear,  and  doubt,  contended  in  un- 
certain conflict.  According  to  our  political  system,  as  a  matter 
of  civil  administration,  the  General  Government  had  no  lawful 
power  to  effect  emancipation  in  any  State ;  and  for  a  long  time 
it  had  been  hoped  that  the  rebellion  could  be  suppressed  without 
resorting  to  it  as  a  military  measure.  It  was  all  the  while  deemed 
possible  that  the  necessity  for  it  might  come,  and  that  if  it 
should,  the  crisis  of  the  contest  would  then  be  presented.  It 
came,  and,  as  was  anticipated,  it  was  followed  by  dark  and 
doubtful  days.  Eleven  months  having  now  passed,  we  are  per- 
mitted to  take  another  review.  The  rebel  borders  are  pressed 
still  further  back,  and  by  the  complete  opening  of  the  Missis- 
sippi the  country  dominated  by  the  rebellion  is  divided  into  dis- 
tinct parts,  with  no  practical  communication  between  them. 
Tennessee  and  Arkansas  have  been  substantially  cleared  of  in- 
surgent control,  and  influential  citizens  in  each,  owners  of  slaves 
and  advocates  of  slavery  at  the  beginning  of  the  rebellion,  now 
declare  openly  for  emancipation  in  their  respective  States.  Of 
those  States  not  included  in  the  emancipation  proclamation — 
Maryland  and  Missouri — neither  of  which,  three  years  ago, 
would  have  tolerated  any  restraint  upon  the  extension  of  slavery 
into  new  Territories,  only  dispute  now  as  to  the  best  mode  of  re- 
moving it  within  their  own  limits.  Of  those  who  were  slaves  at 
the  beginning  of  the  rebellion,  full  one  hundred  thousand  are 
now  in  the  United  States  military  service,  about  one  half  of 
which  number  actually  bear  arms  in  the  ranks." 

In  the  same  message,  speaking  of  the  mode  of  re- 
constructing State  governments  where  they  had  been 
overthrown,  he  advocated  the  policy  of  requiring  a 
test  oath  to  sustain  the  emancipation  measures,  in  the 
following  language  : 


LIFE   OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  71 

"But  if  it  be  proper  to  require,  as  a  test  of  admission  to  the  po- 
litical body,  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  and  to  the 
Union  under  it,  why  not  also  to  the  laws  and  proclamations  in 
regard  to  slavery  ?  Those  laws  and  proclamations  were  enacted 
and  put  forth  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion.  To  give  them  their  fullest  eflect,  there  had  to  be  a 
pledge  for  their  maintenance.  In  my  judgment  they  have  aided, 
and  will  further  aid,  the  cause  for  which  they  were  intended.  To 
now  abandon  them  would  be,  not  only  to  relinquish  a  lever  pow- 
er, but  would  also  be  a  cruel  and  an  astounding  breach  of  faith. 
I  may  add  at  this  point  that,  while  I  remain  in  my  present  posi- 
tion, I  shall  not  attempt  to  retract  or  modify  the  emancipation 
proclamation ;  nor  shall  I  return  to  slavery  any  person  who  is 
free  by  the  terms  of  that  proclamation,  or  by  any  of  the  acts  of 
Congress.  For  these  and  other  reasons,  it  is  thoug*ht  best  that 
support  of  these  measures  shall  be  included  in  the  oath.  *  *  * 
The  movements,  by  State  action  for  emancipation  in  several  of 
the  States,  not  included  in  the  emancipation  proclamation,  are 
matters  of  profound  gratulation.  And  while  I  do  not  repeat  in 
detail  what  I  have  so  earnestly  urged  upon  this  subject,  my  gen- 
eral views  and  feelings  remain  unchanged,  and  I  trust  that  Con- 
gress will  omit  no  fair  opportunity  of  aiding  these  important 
steps  to  a  great  consummation." 

An  act  to  repeal  all  fugitive  slave  laws  passed  both 
houses  of  Congress,  and  was  approved  by  President 
Lincoln,  June  28,  1864.  During  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  that  year  elections  were  held  in  nearly  all 
the  loyal  States  for  members  of  the  39th  Congress, 
and  in  November  for  the  election  of  a  President  and 
Vice  President  of  the  United  States,  which  resulted, 
as  previously  stated,  in  the  second  election  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


At  the  assembling  of  the  second  session  of  the 
Thirty-eighth  Congress,  December  6,  1864,  President 
Lincoln  referred  to  the  fact  that  at  the  previous  session 
a  joint  resolution  passed  the  Senate  to  submit  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
abolishing  slavery  throughout  the  Union,  to  the  Leg- 
islatures of  the  several  States,  but  it  failed  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  for  want  of  a  two-thirds 
majority.  He  reminded  them  of  the  advanced  posi- 
tion of  the  American  people  on  the  subject  of  abolish- 
ing slavery ;  and  urged  them  to  reconsider  the  ques- 
tion, and  submit  it  to  the  action  of  the  State  Legisla- 
tures. He  assured  them  that  it  must  come  to  that, 
and  the  sooner  it  was  done  the  better.  In  closing 
that  message  he  says : 

"  I  retract  nothing  heretofore  said  as  to  slavery.  I  repeat  the 
declaration  made  a  year  ago,  that  while  I  remain  in  my  present 
position,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  retract  or  modify  the  emancipa- 
tion proclamation,  nor  shall  I  return  to  slavery  any  person  who 
is  free  by  the  terms  of  that  proclamation,  or  by  the  acts  of  Con- 
gress. If  the  people  should,  by  whatever  mode  or  means,  make 
it  an  executive  duty  to  re-enslave  such  persons,  another,  and  not 
I,  must  be  their  instrument  to  perform  it. 

"  In  stating  a  single  condition  of  peace,  I  mean  simply  to  say 
that  the  war  will  cease  on  the  part  of  the  Government  whenever 
it  shall  have  ceased  on  the  part  of  those  who  began  it." 

Aside  from  the  three  million  slaves  liberated  by  the 
emancipation  proclamation,  there  yet  remained  in 
bondage  more  than  one  million  of  the  African  race. 


LIFE  OE  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  73 

But  a  small  number  of  these  were  held  by  men  who 
were  real  friends  to  the  Government  in  its  efforts  to 
crush  out  the  great  rebellion.  Being  in  that  part  of 
the  country  bordering  on  the  line  between  the  original 
free  and  slave  States,  which  territory  was  under  the 
control  of  the  civil  authorities,  and  their  owners  nom- 
inally loyal,  the  Government  did  not  feel  authorized 
to  declare  them  free  as  a  war  measure.  The  convic- 
tion, however,  steadily  gained  in  the  minds  of  the 
people,  that  peace  could  never  be  firmly  established 
until  slavery  was  totally  and  forever  abolished.  Va- 
rious plans  were  proposed  and  discussed  for  compen- 
sated emancipation,  and  in  the  meantime  slave  prop- 
erty was  becoming  less  secure. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  1864,  Mr.  Henderson,  of 
Missouri,  introduced  a  joint  resolution  into  the  Senate, 
proposing  amendments  to  the  constitution  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  which  was  read  and  referred  to  the  Judiciary 
Committee.  On  the  10th  of  February,  the  committee 
made  a  report  through  its  chairman,  the  Hon.  Lyman 
Trumbull.  The  joint  resolution  was  amended  by  the 
committee  so  as  to  provide  for  submitting  to  the  Leg- 
islatures of  the  several  States  a  proposition  to  amend 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  so  that  neither 
slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punish- 
ment for  crime,  shall  exist  in  the  United  States,  or 
any  place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction ;  and  also,  that 
Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by 
appropriate  legislation.  The  report  of  this  committee 
was  taken  up  and  discussed  as  many  as  thirteen  times 
— some  of  them  occupying  whole  days — until  the  8th 
of  April,  when  it  was  adopted,  38  to  8.  Its  title  was 
amended  so  as  to  read — 

A  joint  resolution  submitting  to  the  Legislatures  of  the  several 
States  a  proposition  to  amend  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States : 
Resolved,  by  t/te  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  t!w  United 

States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled — two  thirds  of  both  House* 


74  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

concurring,  That  the  following  article  be  proposed  to  the  Legis- 
latures  of  the  several  States  as  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  which,  when  ratified  by  three-fourths  of 
said  Legislatures,  shall  be  valid,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  a 
part  of  said  constitution,  namely : 

AKTICLE  XIII. 

SECTION  1.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except 
as  a  punishment  of  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted,  shall  exist  within  the  United  States  or  any  place  sub- 
ject to  their  jurisdiction. 

SEC.  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  with 
appropriate  legislation. 

After  having  passed  the  Senate,  it  was  sent  to  the 
House,  where  it  was  defeated  for  want  of  a  two-thirds 
majority.  A  motion  to  reconsider,  entered  by  Mr. 
Ashley,  of  Ohio,  was  pending  in  the  House  when  Con- 
gress adjourned.  The  elections  of  1864  demonstrated, 
by  largely  increased  Republican  majorities,  that  the 
sentiments  of  the  people  were  in  favor  of  the  entire 
abolition  of  slavery.  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  his  last  annual 
message,  December,  1864,  referred  to  the  result  of  the 
elections  as  an  indication  of  the  popular  will,  and  re- 
commended that  the  subject  be  again  taken  up  and 
passed. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  L865,  Mr.  Ashley  called  up 
his  former  motion  to  reconsider,  and  made  an  able 
speech  in  its  favor. 

The  question  was  discussed  at  great  length.  Those 
speaking  in  the  affirmative  were  Ashley,  of  Ohio; 
Orth,  of  Indiana;  Kasson,  of  Iowa;  Farns worth,  of 
Illinois;  Jenckes,  of  Rhode  Island;  Woodbridge,  of 
Vermont;  Thayer,  of  Pennsylvania;  Rollins,  of  Mis- 
souri; Garfield,  of  Ohio ;  Thaddeus  Stevens,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  others.  Those  speaking  in  the  opposi- 
tion were  Townsend,  of  New  York ;  Holman,  Cravens 
and  Vorhees,  of  Indiana;  Mallory,  of  Kentucky;  Fer- 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  75 

nando    Wood,  of  New   York;   Pendleton,   of  Ohio, 
and  others. 

Very  many  eloquent  passages  might  be  culled  from 
the  speeches  delivered  on  that  resolution,  but  I  will 
only  give  a  few  brief  quotations  from  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Rollins,  of  Missouri,  and  Thad.  Stevens,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Rollins  had  been  a  slaveholder,  until  a 
few  days  before  they  were  all  liberated  by  an  amend- 
ment to  the  State  constitution  of  Missouri.  He  said : 

"  I  am  a  believer  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  wherein 
it  is  asserted  that  'all  men  are  created  equal.'  I  believe  that 
when  it  says  '•all  men?  it  means  every  man  who  was  created  in 
the  'image  of  his  Maker,'  and  walks  on  God's  footstool,  without 
regard  to  race,  color  or  any  accidental  circumstance  by  which  he 
may  be  surrounded.  '  *  *  *  '  *  *  * 

"An  anti-slavery  man  in  sentiment,  and  yet  heretofore  a  large 
owner  of  slaves  myself — not  now,  however — not  exactly  with  my 
consent.  The  convention  which  recently  assembled  in  my  State, 
I  learned  from  a  telegram  a  morning  or  two  ago,  had  adopted  an 
amendment  to  our  present  State  constitution  for  the  immediate 
emancipation  of  all  the  slaves  in  the  State.  I  am  no  longer  the 
owner  of  a  sla/oe,  and  I  thank  God  for  it.  If  the  giving  up  of  my 
slaves,  without  complaint,  shall  be  a  contribution  upon  my  part 
to  promote  the  public  good,  to  uphold  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  to  restore  peace  and  preserve  this  Union,  if  I  had 
owned  a  thousand  slcvoes,  they  would  most  cheerfully  have  been  given 
v/p.  I  say,  with  all  my  heart,  let  them  go,  but  let  them  not  go 
without  a  sense  of  feeling  and  a  proper  regard  on  my  part  for  the 
future  of  themselves  and  their  offspring !"  *  *  * 

Mr.  Rollins  concluded  by  saying — 

"  Let  ours  be  the  'bright  particular  star'  next  to  the  star  that 
led  the  shepherds  to  Bethlehem,  which  shall  lead  the  downtrod- 
den and  oppressed  of  all  the  world  into  an  harbor  of  peace,  secu- 
rity and  happiness;  and  let  us,  kneeling  around  the  altar,  all 
thank  God  that,  although  we  have  had  our  trials,  we  have  saved 


76  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

our  country ;  that,  although  we  have  been  guilty  of  sins,  we  have 
wiped  them  out,  and  that  we  at  length  stand  up  a  great  and 
powerful  people,  honored  by  all  the  earth,  'redeemed,  regenerated 
and  disenthralled  by  the  genius  of  universal  emancipation." 

The  venerable  leader  of  the  House  arose  to  close 
the  debate  on  this  great  measure,  and  the  members 
gathered  around  him,  filling  the  seats  and  aisles  and 
every  available  spot  near  the  "old  man  eloquent." 
Inteligence  was  sent  to  the  Senate  thatThad.  Stevens 
was  speaking  on  the  constitutional  amendment.  Many 
of  the  Senators  came  in  and  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  to  hear  him  speak  on  a  measure  that  was  to 
crown  the  labors  of  forty  years  with  complete  success. 
As  soon  as  the  vast  audience  could  get  into  their 
places,  all  were'  hushed  into  silence. 

Mr.  Stevens  commenced  by  narrating  the  progress 
of  the  anti-slavery  cause  from  its  feeble  beginning.  I 
can  only  find  room  for  a  few  extracts  from  a  speech 
which  attracted  the  closest  attention  from  the  first  to 
the  last  sentence.  He  said — 

"  From  my  earliest  youth  I  was  taught  to  read  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  to  receive  its  sublime  principles.  As  I  ad- 
vanced in  life,  and  became  somewhat  enabled  to  consult  the 
writings  of  the  great  men  of  antiquity,  I  found  in  all  their  works 
which  have  survived  the  ravages  of  time,  and  come  down  to  the 
present  generation,  one  unanimous  denunciation  of  tyranny  and 
of  slavery,  and  eulogy  of  liberty. 

******** 

"  In  immortal  language  all  denounced  slavery  as  a  thing  which 
took  away  half  of  the  man  and  degraded  human  beings,  and  sang 
praise  in  the  noblest  strains  to  the  goddess  of  liberty ;  and  rny 
hatred  of  this  infernal  institution,  and  my  love  for  liberty,  was 
further  inflamed  as  I  saw  the  inspired  teachings  of  Socrates  and 
the  divine  inspirations  of  Jesus. 

"  Being  fixed  in  these  principles  immovably  and  immutably,  I 
took  my  stand  among  my  fellow-citizens,  and  on  all  occasions, 
whether  in  public  or  in  private,  in  season,  and  if  there  could  be 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  77 

such  a  time,  out  of  season,  I  never  hesitated  to  express  those 
ideas  and  sentiments,  and  when  I  went  first  into  public  assem- 
blies, forty  years  ago,  I  uttered  this  language.  I  have  done  it 
amid  the  pelting  and  hooting  of  mobs,  but  I  never  quailed  be- 
fore the  infernal  spirit,  and  I  hope  I  never  shrank  from  the 
responsibility  of  my  language.  *  *  *  * 

"  When,  fifteen  years  ago,  I  was  honored  with  a  seat  in  this 
body,  it  was  dangerous  to  talk  against  this  institution — a  danger 
which  gentlemen  now  here  will  never  be  able  to  appreciate. 
Some  of  us,  however,  have  experienced  it.  *  *  *  And 
yet,  sir,  I  did  not  hesitate,  in  -the  midst  of  bowie-knives  and  re- 
volvers, and  howling  demons  upon  the  other  side  of  the  House, 
to  stand  here  and  denounce  this  infamous  institution  in  language 
which  possibly  now,  on  looking  at  it,  I  might  deem  intemperate, 
but  which  I  then  deemed  necessary  to  rouse  the  public  attention 
and  cast  odium  upon  the  worst  institution  on  earth — one  which 
is  a  disgrace  to  man  and  would  be  an  annoyance  to  the  infernal 
spirits. 

In  the  course  of  the  debate,  the  Hon.  George  H. 
Pendleton  had  made  a  pathetic  appeal  for  the  consti- 
tution as  it  was,  with  all  its  guarantees  for  slavery. 
Mr.  Stevens  referred  to  Mr.  Pendleton's  speech  in  his 
closing  sentences,  in  the  following  language  : 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  occupy  so  much  time,  and  I  will  only 
say  one  word  further.  So  far  as  the  appeals  of  the  learned  gentle- 
man are  concerned,  his  pathetic  winding  up,  I  will  be  willing  to 
take  my  chance  when  all  moulder  into  the  dust.  He  may  have 
his  epitaph,  if  it  be  truly  written,  'Here  rests  the  ablest  and  most 
pertinacious  defender  of  slavery  and  opponent  of  liberty ;'  and  I 
will  be  satisfied  if  my  epitaph  shall  be  written  thus :  'Here,  lies 
one  who  never  rose  to  any  eminence,  and  who  only  courted  the 
low  ambition  to  have  it  said  that  he  had  striven  to  ameliorate 
the  condition  of  the  poor,  the  lowly,  the  down-trodden  of  every 
race  and  language,  and  color.'  I  shall  be  content  with  such  a 
eulogy  on  his  lofty  tomb,  and  such  an  inscription  on  my  humble 
grave,  to  trust  our  memories  to  the  judgment  of  other  ages." 


78  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LTNCOT/N. 

During  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  the  circle  set 
apart  for  the  representatives  of  all  the  other  govern- 
ments of  the  world  was  crowded  ;  the  floor  of  the 
House  was  filled,  and  the  galleries  were  packed  with 
distinguished  soldiers,  civilians  and  citizens.  The 
vote  on  the  final  passge  of  the  joint  resolution  was  to 
be  taken  at  its  close,  and  no  one  knew  with  certainty 
what  would  be  the  result.  It  was  known  that  the 
Republicans  alone  could  not  pass  it;  there  must  be 
accessions  from  the  Democratic  side  of  the  House, 
or  the  measure  would  fail.  English,  of  Connecti- 
cut, was  the  first  Democrat  who  responded  aye,  which 
drew  fourth  great  applause  from  the  House  and  gal- 
leries. There  were  enough  accessions  to  foot  up  the 
vote,  119  ayes  and  56  nays  ;  when  the  Speaker  made 
the  formal  announcement :  "The  constitutional  ma- 
jority of  two-thirds  having  voted  in  the  affirmative, 
the  joint  resolution  is  passed."  This  was  followed  by 
an  uncontrolable  outburst  of  enthusiasm.  The  cheer- 
ing was  commenced  among  the  members  and  was 
taken  up  in  the  galleries.  Finally,  Mr.  Ingersoll,  of 
Illinois,  who  was  the  successor  of  Owen  Lovejoy;  in 
honor  of  the  sublime  event,  moved  that  the  House  ad- 
journ. The  motion  was  carried,  amid  the  roar  of  artil- 
lery, by  which  it  was  announced  to  the  people  of 
Washington  that  the  joint  resolution  submitting  to 
the  State  Legislatures  for  their  action  an  amendment 
to  the  constitution  for  the  total  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  United  States  had  passed  both  Houses  of  Con- 
gress. 

Personal  friends  of  President  Lincoln  hastened  to 
the  White  House  and  exchanged  congratulations  with 
him  on  the  result.  His  heart  was  tilled  with  joy,  as 
he  saw  in  this  action  of  Congress  the  complete  con- 
summation of  his  own  great  work.  He  had  seen  his 
emancipation  proclamation  sustained  by  the  victorious 
Union  armies  in  the  field,  by  the  people  at  the  Presi- 
dential election,  and  now  the  constitutional  majority 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  79 

of  two-thirds  in  both  Houses  of  Congress  had  voted 
to  submit  to  the  people,  through  their  Representatives 
in  the  State  Legislatures,  the  constitutional  amend- 
ment for  the  final  abolition  of  slavery. 

It  is  a  settled  principle  in  National  legislation  that 
the  approval  of  the  Executive  is  not  necessary  to  give 
vital  force  to  a  joint  resolution  of  the  two  Houses  of 
Congress;  but  during  the  excitement  attending  the 
passage  of  the  joint  resolution  submitting  the  amend- 
ment for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  it  was  presented  to 
and  signed  by  President  Lincoln.  Although  done  in 
a  mistake,  it  seems  to  have  been  appropriate,  as  it  was 
the  last  act  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do.  It  then 
only  remained  for  a  majority  of  the  State  Legislatures 
to  approve  of  the  resolution,  and  for  the  Secretary  of 
State  for  the  United  States  to  proclaim  the  fact  and 
declare  the  article  so  submitted  to  be  a  part  of  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States. 

Lest  this  action  of  President  Lincoln  should  become 
a  troublesome  precedent,  Senator  Trumbull  introduced 
a  joint  resolution  in  the  Senate,  reciting  the  facts  in 
the  case,  and  declaring  that  such  approval  was  un- 
necessary to  effect  the  action  of  Congress. 

The  joint  resolution  for  the  extinction  of  slavery 
passed  Congress,  and  received  the  signature  of  the 
President,  January  31,  1865.  The  Legislature  of 
Illinois  being  then  in  session,  took  up  the  question  at 
once,  and  in  less  than  twenty -four  hours  after  its  pas- 
sage by  Congress,  President  Lincoln  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  receiving  a  telegram  from  his  old  home, 
announcing  the  fact  that  the  constitutional  amend- 
ment had  been  ratified  by  both  Houses  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  his  own  State,  Feb.  1,  1865.  Then  came 
the  action  of  the  Legislatures  of  other  States  in  the 
order  named:  Rhode  Island  and  Michigan,  Feb.  2; 
Mary  laud,  Feb.  1  and  3;  New  York,  Feb.  2  and  3;  West 
Virginia,  Feb.  3 ;  Maine  and  Kansas,  Feb.  7 ;  Massa- 
chusetts and  Pennsylvania,  Feb.  8;  Virginia,  Feb. 


80  LTFK  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

9  ;  Ohio  and  Missouri,  Feb.  10;  Nevada  and  Indiana, 
Feb.  16;  Louisiana,  Feb.  17;  Minnesota,  Feb.  8  and 
23;  Wisconsin,  March  1;  Vermont,  March  9;  Ten- 
nessee, April  5  and  7  ;  Arkansas,  April  20 ;  Connec- 
ticut, May  5 ;  New  Hampshire  July  1 ;  South  Caro- 
lina, Nov.  13;  Alabama,  Dec.  2:  North  Carolina, 
Dec.  4;  Georgia,  Dec.  9;  Oregon,  Dec.  11. 

This  made  twenty-eight,  one  more  than  the  requi- 
site three-fourths  of  the  thirty-six  States.  Having 
ratified  the  amendment,  there  was  nothing  wanting  to 
make  it  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States, 
except  the  official  announcement,  which  came  in  the 
following : 

"PROCLAMATION. 

"WILLIAM  H.  SEWABD,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States;  to 
all  whom  these  presents  may  come — greeting : 

"KNOW  YE,  THAT  WHEREAS,  The  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
on  the  1st  of  February  last,  passed  a  resolution,  which  is  in  the 
words  following,  namely : 

"  'A  resolution  submitting  to  the  Legislatures  of  the  several 
States  a  proposition  to  amend  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States : 

"  'Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled — two-thirds  of  both 
Houses  concurring,  That  the  following  article  be  proposed  to  the 
Legislatures  of  the  several  States  as  an  amendment  to  the  consti- 
tution of  the  United  States,  which,  when  ratified  by  three-fourths 
of  said  Legislatures,  shall  be  valid,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
as  a  part  of  said  constitution,  namely : 

"  'ARTICLE  XIII. 

"  'SECTION  1.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  ex- 
cept as  a  punishment  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have 
been  duly  convicted,  shall  exist  within  the  United  States  or  any 
place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction. 

"  'SEC.  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by 
appropriate  legislation.' 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  81 

"AND  WHEREAS,  It  appears  from  official  documents  on  file  in 
this  department  that  the  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States  proposed  as  aforesaid  has  been  ratified  by  the  Leg- 
islatures of  the  States  of  Illinois,  Rhode  Island,  Michigan,  Mary, 
land,  New  York,  West  Virginia,  Kansas,  Massachusetts,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Virginia,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Nevada,  Indiana,  Louisiana, 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Vermont,  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  Connecti- 
cut, New  Hampshire,  South  Carolina,  Alabama,  North  Carolina 
and  Georgia — in  all,  twenty-seven  States ; 

"AND  WHEREAS,  The  whole  number  of  States  in  the  United 
States  is  thirty-six ; 

"AND  WHEREAS,  The  before  specially  named  States,  whose 
Legislatures  have  ratified  the  said  proposed  amendment,  consti- 
tute three-fourths  of  the  whole  number  of  States  in  the  United 
States ; 

"Now,  Therefore,  be  it  Known,  That  I,  WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD, 
Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  by  virtue  and  in  pursuance 
of  the  second  section  of  the  act  of  Congress,  approved  the  20th 
of  April,  1818,  entitled  'An  Act  to  provide  for  the  publication  of 
the  laws  of  the  United  States;  and  for  other  purposes,'  do  hereby 
certify  that  the  amendment  aforesaid  has  become  valid,  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes,  as  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

"  IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and 
caused  the  seal  of  the  Department  of  State  to  be  affixed. 

"  Done  at  the  city  of  Washington,  the  18th  day  of 
December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1865,  and  of 
[SEAII.]  the  Independence  of  the  the  United  States  of 

America  the  90th. 

"  WM.  H.  SEWARD, 

"Secretary  of  State." 

Although  no  more  States  were  required,  the  amend- 
ment was  ratified   by  California,  Dec.   20;  Florida, 
Dec.  28,  1865  ;  New  Jersey,  Jan.  23,  1866,  and  Iowa, 
Jan.  24,  1866. 
6 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  election  for  President  and  Vice-President  hav- 
ing taken  place  in  November  1864,  both  Houses  of 
Congress  assembled  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  February  8th,  1865,  for  the  purpose 
of  opening  and  counting  the  votes.  As  previously 
stated  in  these  pages,  the  whole  number  of  electoral 
votes  cast  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-three.  Of  these 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  Andrew  Johnson,  as  candidates 
for  President  and  Vice-President,  received  two  hun- 
dred and  twelve  votes,  and  George  B.  McClellan  and 
George  H.  Pendleton,  as  candidates  for  the  same  of- 
fices, received  21  votes.  Lincoln  and  Johnson  was, 
of  course,  declared  to  be  elected. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1865,  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  for  the 
second  term,  amid  the  acclamations  of  an  immense 
throng  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 
His  inaugural  address  on  that  occasion  is  justly  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  remarkable  State  papers  ever 
written,  and  was  the  last  public  address  he  ever  de- 
livered. No  extract  from  it  could  do  it  justice,  and 
for  that  reason  I  give  it  entire : 

"  FELLOW  COUNTRYMEN  :  At  this  second  appearing  to  take  the 
oath  of  the  Presidential  office  there  is  less  occasion  for  an  ex- 
tended address  than  there  was  at  the  first.  Then  a  statement 
somewhat  in  detail  of  a  course  to  be  pursued  seemed  fitting  and 
proper.  Now,  at  the  expiration  of  four  years,  during  which 
public  declarations  have  been  constantly  called  forth  on  every 
point  and  phase  of  the  great  contest  which  still  absorbs  the  at- 
tention and  engross  the  energies  of  the  nation,  little  that  is  new 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  83 

could  be  presented.  The  progress  of  our  arms,  upon  which  all 
else  chiefly  depends,  is  as  well  known  to  the  public  as  to  myself, 
and  it  is,  I  trust  reasonably  satisfactory  and  encouraging  to  all. 
With  high  hope  for  the  future,  no  prediction  in  regard  to  it  is 
ventured. 

"  On  the  occasion  corresponding  to  this,  four  years  ago,  all 
thoughts  were  anxiously  directed  to  an  impending  civil  war. 
All  dreaded  it;  all  sought  to  avert  it.  While  the  inaugural 
address  was  being  delivered  from  this  place,  devoted  altogether 
to  saving  the  Union  without  war,  insurgent  agents  were  in  the 
city  seeking  to  destroy  it  without  war — seeking  to  dissolve  the 
Union  and  divide  its  effects  by  negotiation.  Both  parties  depre- 
cated war ;  but  one  of  them  would  make  war  rather  than  let  the 
nation  survive,  and  the  other  would  accept  war  rather  than  let 
it  perish.  And  the  war  come. 

"  One  eighth  of  the  whole  population  were  colored  slaves,  not 
distributed  generally  over  the  Union,  but  localized  in  the  southern 
part  of  it.  These  slaves  constituted  a  peculiar  and  powerful  in- 
terest. All  knew  that  this  interest  was,  somehow,  the  cause  of 
the  war.  To  strengthen,  perpetuate  and  extend  this  interest  was 
the  object  for  which  the  insurgents  would  rend  the  Union,  even 
by  war,  while  the  Government  claimed  no  right  to  do  more  than 
to  restrict  the  territorial  enlargement  of  it.  Neither  party  ex- 
pected for  the  war,  the  magnitude  or  duration  which  it  has 
already  obtained.  Neither  anticipated  that  the  cause  of  the  con- 
flict might  cease  with,  or  even  before,  the  conflict  itself  should 
cease.  Each  looked  for  an  easier  triumph,  and  a  result  less  fund- 
amental and  astounding.  Both  read  the  same  Bible,  and  pray  to 
the  same  God,  and  each  invokes  His  aid  against  the  other.  It 
may  seem  strange  that  any  men  should  dare  to  ask  a  just  God's 
assistance  in  wringing  their  bread  from  the  sweat  of  other  men's 
faces;  but  let  us  judge  not,  that  we  be  not  judged.  The  prayers 
of  both  could  not  be  answered — those  of  neither  have  been  an- 
swered fully.  The  Almighty  has  His  own  purposes.  Woe  unto 
the  world  because  of  offenses !  for  it  must  needs  be  that  offenses 
come ;  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offense  cometh. 

"  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American  slavery  is  one  of  those  of- 
fenses which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  must  needs  come,  but 
which,  having  continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now 
wills  to  remove,  and  that  He  gives  to  North  and  South  this 


84  LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

terrible  war,  as  the  woe  due  to  those  by  whom  the  offense  came, 
shall  we  discern  therein  any  departure  from  those  Divine  at- 
tributes which  the  believers  in  a  living  God  always  ascribe  to 
Him  ?  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  soon  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God  wills  that  it 
continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondsman's  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until 
eyery  drop  of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  shall  be  paid  by  another 
drawn  with  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so 
still  it  must  be  said :  '  The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and 
righteous  altogether.' 

"  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness 
in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to 
finish  the  work  we  are  in ;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds ;  to 
care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow 
and  for  his  orphan — to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a 
just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves,  and  with  all  nations." 

The  closing  scenes  of  the  war  were  being  enacted 
in  quick  succession.  The  rebel  Congress,  driven  to 
desperation,  enacted  a  law  which  was  approved  by 
their  President,  Jeff.  Davis,  March  15th,  1865,  giving 
freedom  to  the  slaves  on  condition  of  their  entering 
the  military  service  of  the  confederacy.  Orders  were 
at  once  issued  from  the  rebel  War  Department  for  the 
drilling  to  commence,  but  it  was  too  late.  All  their 
schemes  failed,  and  the  only  good  accomplished  by  it 
was  to  exhibit  to  the  world  the  complete  failure  of 
the  effort  to  establish  a  government,  the  chief  corner- 
stone of  which  should  be  human  slavery.  The  con- 
spiracy was  in  its  death  throes.  Gen.  Grant 
"  moved  upon  the  rebel  works "  at  Petersburg  and 
carried  them  ;  the  rebels  retreating  towards  Richmond, 
which  in  turn  they  evacuated,  and  on  the  third  day  of 
April  a  corps  of  U.  S.  Colored  Soldiers,  under  Gen- 
eral Weitzel,  took  possession  of  the  city  which  had 
been  for  four  long  years  the  capital  of  the  rebel  gov- 
ernment. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  85 

On  the  fourth  day  of  April,  just  one  month  after 
the  second  inauguration  of  President  Lincoln,  his 
feet  trod  the  pavements  of  the  rebel  capital,  and  he 
held  a  levee  in  the  mansion  just  evacuated  by  the 
rebel  President,  who  was  then  a  fugitive,  with  $100,- 
000  offered  as  a  reward  for  his  arrest. 

On  the  ninth  of  April  the  whole  rebel  army,  un- 
der General  Lee,  styled  the  army  of  Northern  Vir- 
ginia, and  now  reduced  to  about  twenty-five  thousand 
men,  surrendered  to  General  Grant  at  Appomattox 
Court  House.  The  news  flashed  on  the  wires  to  all 
parts  of  the  loyal  States.  Victory !  Victory ! !  Peace  ! 
Peace!!  were  the  exclamations  from  the  lips  of  all, 
and  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  delight  were  spon- 
taneously indulged  in  by  the  loyal  millions  in  every 
part  of  the  land.  The  surrender  of  the  rebel  Gener- 
al Johnston,  with  all  his  forces  was  only  a  question 
of  a  few  days'  time. 

The  tremendous  burden  of  responsibility  which  for 
four  long,  weary  years  rested  upon  the  shoulders  of 
President  Lincoln,  was  now  about  to  be  removed, 
and  he  was  looking  forward  in  joyous  anticipation  to 
the  day  when  the  clangor  of  arms  should  cease,  and 
with  the  smoke  of  battle  cleared  away,  he  should  en- 
ter upon  the  pacific  work  of  restoring  the  nation  from 
the  ravages  of  war  to  its  proper  condition  in  time 
of  peace. 

As  a  fitting  initial  to  the  work  of  restoration,  the 
President  instituted  measures  to  have  the  old  flag, 
which  had  been  lowered  at  Fort  Sumter  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  parricidal  sons  of  the  nation,  on  the  four- 
teenth of  April,  1861,  elevated  to  its  place  on  the 
fourth  anniversary  of  that  event.  Orders  were  issued 
by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  Capt.  Gadsden  to  have  the 
fine  ocean  steamer,  Arago,  in  readiness  to  convey  a 
select  party  to  that  historic  spot,  the  mass  of  ruins 
that  was  once  called  Fort  Sumter. 

Of  the  party  who  sailed  on  the  Arago,  to  the  num- 
ber of  two  or  three  hundred,  it  is  necessary  to  men- 


86  LIFE  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

tion  the  names  of  a  few  who  were  assigned  to  special 
duties  On  that  occasion.  There  was  General  Robert 
Anderson,  the  hero  of  the  expedition,  and  the  Rev. 
Henry  Hard  Beecher,  who  had  been  selected  to  de- 
liver the  oration.  Then  there  was  William  Lloyd 
Garrison,  of  our  own  country,  and  George  Thompson, 
of  England,  "  life-long  co-workers  for  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  each  the  champion  of  a  great  nation." 
There  was  also  General,  now  Governor,  Dix,  of  New 
York  ;  Hon  Joseph  Holt,  of  Kentucky ;  Senator  Wil- 
son, of  Massachusetts ;  Justice  Swayne,  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  a  host  of  others,  in- 
cluding Lieutenant  Governor  Charles  Anderson,  a 
brother  to  the  General,  and  who  soon  after  became 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  in  consequence  of  the 
death  of  Governor  Brough. 

Besides  the  Arago  there  were  other  vessels  chartered 
for  the  occasion,  each  bearing  some  of  the  distin- 
guished personages  of  the  land,  so  that  the  entire 
party  numbered  about  five  thousand.  A  correspond- 
ent of  the  New  York  Independent,  describing  the 
approach  to  the  battered  walls  of  Fort  Sumter,  says : 
"  There  was  but  one  strain  worthy  of  the  moment ;  it 
was  neither  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  nor  our  own 
grand  America.  We  all  broke  forth  into — 

1 "  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow.  " 

The  vessels  had  been  so  well  timed  that  the  party 
landed  about  noon  on  the  day  they  were  celebrating, 
April  14th.  A  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Mat- 
thias Harris — who  was  Chaplain  at  the  Fort  four 
years  before — and  a  portion  of  Scripture  read,  followed 
by  the  reading  of  the  dispatch  sent  by  Major  Ander- 
son to  the  Government,  announcing  the  evacuation 
of  Fort  Sumter  on  the  14th  of  April,  1861.  The 
Major,  now  General,  Anderson,  and  Sergeant  Hart 
then  stepped  forward  and  hoisted  the  well  preserved 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  87 

flag,  amid  unbounded  euthusiasm,  and  salutes  were  fired 
from  the  batteries  and  fleet.  Sergeant  Hart  was  the 
same  man  who,  when  the  staff  of  this  flag  had  been 
shot  off  four  years  before,  rescued  and  restored  it  to 
its  place  upon  the  fortifications.  As  soon  as  the  flag 
was  thrown  to  the  breeze,  Gen.  Anderson  delivered 
the  following  brief  speech : 

"  My  Friends  and  Fellow  Citizens,  and  Brother  Soldiers:  By 
the  considerate  appointment  of  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  War,  I  am 
here  to  fulfill  the  cherished  wish  of  my  heart  through  four  long 
years  of  bloody  war ;  to  restore  to  its  proper  place  this  dear  flag, 
which  floated  here  during  peace,  before  the  first  act  of  cruel  re- 
bellion. I  thank  God  that  I  have  lived  to  see  this  day,  and  to  be 
here  to  perform  this  duty  to  my  country.  My  heart  is  filled  with 
gratitude  to  that  God  who  has  so  signally  blessed  us ;  who  has 
given  us  blessings  beyond  measure.  May  all  the  world  proclaim , 
'  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace ;  good  will  toward 
men.' " 

Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  then  delivered  a  most 
thrilling  and  eloquent  oration  of  about  two  hours 
duration.  A  synopsis  of  that  oration  can  not  be 
given  here,  but  I  must  satisfy  myself  with  one  or  two 
quotations : 

"  When  God  would  prepare  Moses  for  emancipation,  He  over- 
threw his  first  steps,  and  drove  him  for  forty  years  to  brood  in 
the  wilderness.  When  our  flag  came  down^  four  years  it  lay 
brooding  in  darkness.  It  cried  to  the  Lord, '  Wherefore  am  I 
deposed  ?'  Then  arose  before  it  a  vision  of  sin.  It  had  strength- 
ened the  strong  and  forgotten  the  weak.  It  proclaimed  liberty, 
but  trod  upon 'slaves.  In  that  seclusion  it  dedicated  itself  to 
liberty.  Behold  to-day  it  fulfills  its  vows !  When  it  went  down 
four  million  people  had  no  flag.  To-day  it  rises  and  [the  same] 
four  million  people  cry  out, '  Behold  our  Flag ! ' 

******** 

"From  this  pulpit  of  broken  stone  we  speak  forth  our  earnest 
greeting  to  all  our  land.  We  offer  to  the  President  of  these 


88  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

United  States  our  solemn  congratulations  that  God  has  sustained 
his  life  and  health  under  the  unparalleled  burdens  and  sufferings 
of  four  bloody  years,  and  permitted  him  to  behold  this  auspi- 
cious consummation  of  that  national  unity  for  which  he  has 
labored  with  such  disinterested  wisdom." 

The  kindly  words  spoken  of  President  Lincoln 
were  never  known  to  him.  Little  did  the  orator 
think  that  in  less  than  ten  hours  the  hand  of  an  as- 
sassin would  put  an  end  to  that  life,  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  which  he  had  been  pouring  out  congratula- 
tions. Rumors  of  threatened  assassination  had  from 
time  to  time  reached  the  ear  of  the  public,  but  so 
many  dark  days  had  been  passed  in  safety  that  little 
or  no  danger  was  apprehended  of  such  a  calamity, 
especially  at  this  time,  when  the  enemies  of  the  nation 
were  melting  away  before  our  armies  as  mist  before 
the  rising  sun. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


Mr.  Lincoln  saw  the  storm  coming  long  before  it 
burst  upon  the  nation,  and  from  the  time  he  became 
satisfied  that  he  was  about  to  be  the  choice  of  the 
people  for  President  of  the  United  States,  he  never 
doubted  that  he  was  chosen  by  the  Almighty  to  do 
some  special  work.  This  feeling  clung  to  him  all 
through  his  presidential  career.  Running  parallel 
with  this  was  another  feeling,  that  when  his  work  was 
done  he  would  pass  away.  On  these  two  points  he 
often  conversed,  and  to  his  friends  he  sometimes  ex- 
pressed himself  quite  freely. 

Among  the  earliest  of  his  utterances  on  record  with 
reference  to  these  matters,  is  a  series  of  conversations 
in  the  autumn  of  1860,  with  the  Hon.  Newton  Bate- 
man,  of  Springfield,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion for  Illinois,  now  President  elect  of  Knox  College. 
After  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated  by  the  Chicago  con- 
vention in  May,  1860,  he  for  a  time  received  the  pub- 
lic at  his  own  residence.  This,  however,  interfered  so 
much  with  the  privacy  of  the  family  that  the  Execu- 
tive Chamber,  a  fine,  large  room  in  the  State  House, 
was  tendered  to  him.  In  this  he  received  all  who  had 
a  mind  to  call  on  him,  until  after  his  election  and  de- 
parture for  Washington.  The  room  of  Mr.  Bateman 
was  adjoining  the  Executive  Chamber,  and  by  a  pri- 
vate door  the  occupants  of  these  rooms  could  commu- 
nicate when  they  desired  to  do  so.  This  door  was 
frequently  open  during  the  seven  months  the  room 
was  occupied  by  Mr.  Lincoln.  When  he  was  tired  he 
would  often  close  the  outer  door  against  intrusion,  and 


90  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 

call  Mr.  Bateman  in  for  a  quiet  talk.  On  one  of  these 
occasions,  after  a  long  conversation  about  the  incon- 
sistency of  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  other  profes- 
sing Christians  with  whom  they  were  both  acquaint- 
ed in  their  political  action,  he  said:  "Mr.  Bateman, 
I  am  not  a  Christian — God  knows  I  would  be  one,  but 
I  have  carefully  read  the  Bible,  and  I  do  not  so  un- 
derstand this  book,"  and  he  drew  from  his  bosom  a 
copy  of  the  New  Testament,  and  continued:  "These 
men  well  know  that  I  am  for  freedom  in  the  territo- 
ries, freedom  everywhere,  as  far  as  the  constitution 
and  laws  will  permit,  and  that  my  opponents  are  for 
slavery.  They  know  this,  and  yet,  with  this  Book  in 
their  hands,  in  the  light  of  which  human  bondage  can 
not  live  a  moment,  they  are  going  to  vote  against  me. 
I  do  not  understand  it  at  all."  He  then  paused,  his 
features  manifesting  intense  emotion;  he  arose  and 
walked  the  room,  in  the  effort  to  regain  his  compo- 
sure. He  at  length  stopped,  his  cheeks  wet  with  tears, 
his  voice  trembling,  and  he  said : 

"  I  know  there  is  a  God,  and  that  He  hates  injustice  and  slave- 
ry. I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know  that  His  hand  is  in  it. 
If  he  has  a  place  and  work  for  me — and  I  think  He  has — I  be- 
lieve I  am  ready.  I  know  I  am  right,  because  I  know  that  Lib- 
erty is  right,  for  Christ  teaches  it,  and  Christ  is  God.  I  have  told 
them  that  a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,  and  Christ 
and  reason  say  the  same ;  and  they  will  find  it  so." 

He  then  spoke  of  those  who  did  not  care  whether 
slavery  was  voted  up  or  voted  down,  and  then  said : 

"God  cares,  and  humanity  cares,  and  I  care;  and  with  God's 
help  I  shall  not  fail.  /  may  not  see  the  end,  but  it  will  come,  and 
I  shall  be  vindicated ;  and  these  men  will  find  that  they  have  not 
read  their  Bibles  aright." 

Much  of  this  was  spoken  as  if  he  was  talking  to 
himself,  and  in  a  manner  peculiarly  sad,  earnest  and 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  91 

solemn.      Resuming   the  conversation   after  a  short 
pause,  he  said : 

"  Does  it  not  appear  strange  that  men  can  ignore  the  moral  as- 
pects of  this  contest  ?  A  revelation  could  not  make  it  plainer  to 
me,  that  slavery  or  the  government  must  be  destroyed.  The  fu- 
ture would  be  something  awful,  as  I  look  at  it,  but  for  this  rock 
on  which  I  stand" — (alluding  to  the  Testament  which  he  still 
held  in  his  hand) — "especially  with  the  knowledge  of  how  these 
ministers  are  going  to  vote.  It  seems  as  if  God  had  borne  with 
this  thing — slavery — until  the  very  teachers  of  religion  have  come 
to  defend  it  from  the  Bible,  and  to  claim  for  it  a  divine  character 
and  sanction ;  and  now  the  cup  of  iniquity  is  full,  and  the  vials 
of  wrath  will  be  poured  out.". 

In  the  course  of  his  conversation  with  Mr.  Bate- 
man  he  unreservedly  expressed  his  conviction  of  the 
necessity  of  faith  in  the  Christian's  God,  as  an  element 
of  successful  statesmanship,  that  it  gave  calmness 
to  the  mind  which  made  a  man  firm  and  immovable 
amid  the  wildest  excitements.  After  expressing  his 
belief  in  an  overruling  Providence,  and  the  fact  of 
God  in  history,  the  subject  of  prayer  was  introduced. 
"  He  freely  stated  his  belief  in  the  duty,  privilege  and 
efficacy  of  prayer,  and  intimated,  in  unmistakable 
terms,  that  he  had  sought  in  that  way  the  divine  guid- 
ance and  favor."  When  this  interview  was  drawing 
to  a  close,  Mr.  Bateman  said :  "I  have  not  supposed 
that  you  were  accustomed  to  think  so  much  upon  this 
class  of  subjects.  Certainly  your  friends  generally  are 
ignorant  of  the  sentiments  you  have  expressed  to  me." 
He  replied  quickly  :  "  I  know  they  are.  I  am  obliged 
to  appear  different  to  them,  but  I  think  more  on  these 
subjects  than  upon  all  others,  and  I  have  done  so  for 
years,  and  I  am  willing  you  should  know  it." 

Numerous  instances  might  be  cited  of  his  conver- 
sations before  his  election  and  between  that  and  the 
time  of  his  inauguration,  in  which  he  expressed  the 


92  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 

conviction  that  the  day  of  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty 
was  at  hand,  and  that  he  was  to  be  an  actor  in  the  ter- 
rible struggle,  which  would  issue  in  the  overthrow  of 
slavery,  and  that  he  did  not  believe  that  he  would  see 
the  end,  or  that  he  would  pass  away  with  that  system 
of  abominations. 

An  incident  well  calculated  to  deepen  this  convic- 
tion in  his  mind  occurred  soon  after  his  first  election. 
He  related  it  to  some  of  his  friends,  but  we  believe  it 
was  not  made  public  until  after  his  death.  The  fol- 
lowing account  of  it,  said  to  be  almost  in  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's own  words,  is  part  of  an  article  from  the  pen 
of  Major  John  Hay,  in  Har-per's  Magazine  for  July, 
1865.  He  says : 

"  It  was  just  after  my  election  in  1860,  when  the  news  had  been 
coming  in  thick  and  fast  all  day,  and  there  had  been  a  great '  hur- 
rah, boys !'  so  that  I  was  well  tired  out,  and  went  home  to  rest, 
throwing  myself  upon  a  lounge  in  my  chamber.  Opposite  where 
I  lay  was  a  bureau  with  a  swinging  glass  upon  it,  and  looking  at 
that  glass  I  saw  myself  reflected  nearly  at  full  length ;  but  my 
face,  I  noticed,  had  two  separate  and  distinct  images,  the  tip  of 
the  nose  being  about  three  inches  from  the  tip  pf  the  other.  I 
was  a  little  bothered,  perhaps  startled,  and  got  up  and  looked  in 
the  glass,  but  the  illusion  vanished.  On  laying  down  again,  I 
saw  it  a  second  time,  plainer,  if  possible  then  before ;  and  then  I 
noticed  that  one  of  the  faces  was  a  little  paler — say  five  shades — 
than  the  other.  I  got  up  and  the  thing  melted  away,  and  I  went 
off,  and,  in  the  excitement  of  the  hour,  forgot  all  about  it — near- 
ly, but  not  quite,  for  the  thing  would  once  in  a  while  come  up 
and  give  me  a  little  pang,  as  though  something  uncomfortable 
had  happened.  When  I  went  home  I  told  my  wife  about  it,  and 
a  few  days  after  I  tried  the  experiment  again,  when,  sure  enough, 
the  thing  came  back  again ;  but  I  never  succeeded  in  bringing 
it  back  after  that,  though  I  once  tried  very  industriously  to  show 
it  to  my  wife,  who  was  worried  about  it  somewhat.  She  thought 
it  was  'a  sign'  that  I  was  to  be  elected  to  a  second  term  of  office, 
and  that  the  paleness  of  one  of  the  faces  was  an  omen  that  I 
should  not  see  life  through  the  last  term. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  93 

After  the  beginning  of  hostilities,  Mr.  Lincoln's 
whole  time  was  so  occupied,  and  his  mind  so  absorbed 
with  his  official  duties,  that  he  appears  to  have  forgot- 
ten, for  a  time,  the  presentiments  that  in  his  more  lei- 
sure hours  caused  him  some  uneasiness. 

When  our  men  were  dying  by  thousands  in  the 
army  hospitals  at  the  south,  many  of  them  from  no 
other  disease  than  general  debility,  the  best  remedy 
for  which  would  have  been  permission  to  breathe  the 
pure  northern  air,  a  lady  who  had  spent  much  time  in 
those  southern  hospitals,  called  on  President  Lincoln 
for  the  purpose  of  inducing  him  to  establish  hospitals 
in  some  of  the  northern  States.  She  knew  before 
starting  that  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  Surgeon  General  and 
chief  surgeons  in  most  of  the  departments  were  opposed 
to  the  measure.  Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  determined  from 
the  start  not  to  grant  her  request.  He  was  worn 
down  by  constant  application  to  business,  which  made 
him  fretful,  and  at  times  his  answers  to  her  entreaties 
were  quite  severe.  As  a  last  argument,  at  one  of  her 
visits,  she  said  :  "  If  you  grant  my  petition  you  will 
be  glad  as  long  as  you  live.  The  prayers  of  grateful 
hearts  will  give  you  strength  in  the  hour  of  trial,  and 
strong  and  willing  arms  will  return  to  fight  your  bat- 
tles." 

She  says  that,  at  these  words,  the  President  seemed 
to  think  that  he  had  possibly  done  injustice  to  the  sol- 
diers, and  all  the  severity  left  him.  He  bowed  his 
head,  and  with  a  look  of  sadness  impossible  for  lan- 
guage to  describe,  said  :  "  J  shall  never  be  glad  any 
more"  In  reply  to  his  mournful  utterances,  she  said  : 
"Oh !  do  not  say  so,  Mr.  Lincoln,  for  who  will  have 
so  much  reason  to  rejoice  as  yourself  when  the  gov- 
ernment shall  be  restored,  as  it  will  be  ?"  Pressing  a 
hand  on  either  side,  he  said :  "I  know,  I  know,  but 
the  springs  of  life  are  wearing  away,  and  I  shall  not 
last."  After  six  days'  perseverance  the  lady  accom- 


94  LTFF  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

plished  her  object — the  hospital  was  established,  and 
the  President  seemed  to  rejoice  that  he  had  been  led 
to  another  act  for  the  relief  of  the  brave  soldiers  who 
were  fighting  the  battles  of  the  nation. 

After  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated  as  a  candidate 
for  President  the  second  time,  there  were  some  dissen- 
sions in  the  Republican  party.  Many  of  the  promi- 
nent men  of  the  party  found  fault  with  him,  and  even 
talked  of  an  opposition  convention  to  nominate 
another  candidate.  The  people  of  the  North  were 
weary  of  the  war,  and  demagogues  were  not  wanting 
in  his  own  party  to  take  advantage  of  this  feeling  to 
increase  the  dissatisfaction.  It  was  but  natural  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  should  scan  every  movement  of  this  kind 
closely,  and  that,  added  to  his  other  anxieties,  made 
him  look  careworn  and  haggard.  In  the  month  of 
July,  1864,  one  of  the  many  newspaper  correspond- 
ents who  called  upon  him,  remarked  that  he  was 
wearing  himself  out  with  hard  work.  The  President 
replied,  "I  can't  work  less,  but  it  isn't  that;  work 
never  troubled  me ;  things  look  badly,  and  I  cannot 
avoid  anxiety.  Personally  I  care  nothing  about  a 
re-election,  but  if  our  dissensions  defeat  us  I  fear  for 
the  country."  On  being  reminded  that  right  must 
eventually  triumph,  he  admitted  that,  but  expressed 
the  opinion  that  he  should  not  live  to  see  it,  and 
added  :  "I feel  a  presentment  that  I  shall  not  outlast  the 
rebellion.  When  it  is  over,  my  work  will  be  done." 

On  the  evening  of  the  anniversary  of  Sumter's  hu- 
miliation, and  the  very  day  of  its  restoration,  a  day 
which  is  called  Good  Friday,  and  is  observed  by  a 
large  portion  of  the  Christian  world  as  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Savior  of  mankind, 
President  Lincoln  made  up  his  mind  to  visit  Ford's 
Theatre  as  a  means  of  relaxing  the  tension  upon  his 
physical  and  mental  energies.  He  entered  his  car- 
riage at  a  quarter  past  eight  o'clock,  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  Miss  Clara  L.  Harris,  and  Major  Henry  R. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  95 

Rath  bone.  The  two  latter  have  since  become  man  and 
wife.  Hon.  George  Ash mun,  of  Massachusetts,  was  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Lincoln  until  he  entered  his 
carriage,  and  it  was  agreed  that  Mr.  Ashmun  and  a 
friend,  Judge  C.  P.  Daly  of  New  York,  should  have 
an  interview  with  the  President  the  next  morning.  In 
order  to  guard  against  any  delay,  he  took  a  card, 
and  resting  it  upon  his  knee,  wrote  with  a  pencil : 

"Allow  Mr.  Ashmun  and  friend  to  come  to  me  at  9  o'clock  A. 
M.,  to-morrow,  April  15,  1865. 

A.  LINCOLN." 

Handing  the  card  to  Mr.  Ashmun,  he  rode  away. 
Those  were,  without  doubt,  the  last  words  he  ever 
wrote. 

The  box  occupied  by  the  Presidential  party  was 
about  twelve  feet  above  the  stage,  looking  directly 
upon  it.  The  play  for  the  evening  was  called  "Our 
American  Cousin."  About  half  past  nine  o'clock,  at 
a  part  of  the  play  when  the  stage  was  vacant,  and  all 
eyes  were  intently  fixed  upon  it,  awaiting  the  en- 
trance of  the  next  actor,  the  report  of  a  pistol  startled 
those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  box  occupied  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. Major  Rathbone  turning  around,  saw  through 
the  smoke  a  man  standing  in  the  rear  of  the  Presi- 
dent. The  Major  sprang  up  and  grappled  him,  but 
the  man  dropped  his  pistol,  made  a  thrust  at  him  with 
a  large  knite,  inflicting  a  severe  wound  in  the  left 
arm,  and  wrested  himself  away.  He  rushed  to  the 
front  of  the  box,  and  brandishing  the  knife  theatric- 
ally, shouted,  "'Sic  semper  tyrannis!" — Such  be  ever 
the  fate  of  tyrants.  He  then  put  his  hands  on  the 
railing  and  leaped  over  on  the  corner  of  the  stage. 
Having  provided  himself  with  a  spur  to  assist  in  his 
flight,  it  caught  in  the  folds  of  an  American  flag  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  pass  over.  As  if  conscious 
of  the  great  crime  against  freedom,  the  flag  wrenched 
the  spur  from  his  boot  which  caused  him  to  fall 


96  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

nearly  prostrate,  by  which,  it  was  afterwards  ascer- 
tained, a  bone  in  one  of  his  legs  was  broken.  Not- 
withstanding this  severe  injury  he  quickly  recovered, 
sprang  to  his  feet,  again  brandished  his  dagger,  and 
exclaimed,  "The  South  is  avenged!"  and  rushed  out  of 
the  back  door  of  the  Theatre,  which  he  shut  after 
him,  mounted  a  horse  which  an  accomplice  was  hold- 
ing, and  rode  off'  across  the  Anacosta  bridge  into 
Maryland,  where  he  expected  to  make  his  escape  by 
the  aid  of  rebel  sympathizers. 

When  the  shot  was  fired,  Mr.  Lincoln's  head  fell 
slightly  forward,  his  eyes  closed,  but  he  uttered  no 
word  or  cry.  Mrs.  Lincoln  screamed,  and  Miss  Harris 
called  for  water.  Laura  Keene,  the  actress,  having 
her  own  feelings  under  perfect  control,  entreated  the 
audience  to  be  calm,  and  entered  the  box  from  the 
stage,  bearing  water  and  cordials.  Women  in  the  au- 
dience shrieked  and  fainted,  men  called  for  ven- 
geance, and  the  most  terrible  uproar  prevailed.  The 
President  was  at  once  conveyed  out  of  the  Theatre  to 
a  neighboring  residence  where  he  lay  unconscious  for 
nine  hours,  and  breathed  his  last  at  twenty-two  min- 
utes past  seven  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  April 
15,  1865.  The  house  in  which  he  died  was  JNo.  453 
Tenth  street,  a  plain  three  story  brick  building.  It 
was  the  residence  of  a  family  by  the  name  of  Peter- 
son. 

The  ball  entered  the  skull  behind  the  left  ear, 
crashed  upward  through  the  brain,  and  lodged  be- 
hind the  right  eye.  It  is  not  believed  that  he  ever 
knew  he  was  shot,  or  was  conscious  of  suffering.  As 
before  stated,  he  had  many  times  been  threatened 
with  assassination  through  anonymous  letters,  and 
had  often  been  entreated  by  his  friends  to  take  some 
precautions  for  his  own  protection,  but  having  "char- 
ity for  all,  and  feeling  malice  towards  none,"  he  went 
along,  seemingly  unconscious  of  the  malicious  and 
fiendish  elements  around  him. 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  97 

As  soon  as  the  horrid  deed  was  accomplished,  the 
assassin  was  recognized,  while  on  the  stage,  as  John 
Wilkes  Booth,  an  actor  who  was  familiar  with  the 
Theatre.  It  was  soon  ascertained  that  an  attempt 
had  been  made,  and  came  very  near  being  successful, 
to  assassinate  the  Hon.  W.  H.  Seward,  the  Secretary 
of  State,  and  his  son  Frederick  Seward.  The  whole 
detective  force  of  the  Government,  and  the  police 
force  of  the  City  of  Washington,  were  at  once  called 
into  requisition  to  arrest  the  assassins  and  unravel  the 
intricacies  of  the  plot. 

The  greatest  efforts  were  made  to  arrest  Booth, 
large  rewards  being  offered  for  himself  and  accom- 
plices. After  many  false  moves,  the  detectives,  un- 
der Col.  L.  C.  Baker,  got  on  the  true  scent.  It  was 
found  that  Booth  had  penetrated  about  thirty  miles 
into  Maryland,  followed  by  Harold,  who  had  held  the 
horse  for  him  on  the  night  of  the  assassination.  They 
learned  that  Booth's  broken  leg  had  been  dressed  by 
Dr.  Mudd,  who  had  furnished  him  with  a  crutch. 
Crippled  as  he  was,  he  for  ten  days  eluded  his  pur- 
suers, hiding  in  the  swamps  by  day,  and  at  night 
working  his  way  further  South. 

About  thirty  miles  south  of  Washington  he  crossed 
over  the  Potomac  river  into  Virginia,  and  in  a  few 
hours  more  would  have  been  under  the  protection  of 
Moseby's  rebel  guerrillas.  By  means  of  information 
volunteered  by  the  colored  people,  and  in  some  in- 
stances extorted  from  the  whites,  they  traced  him  to 
the  point  where  he  was  ferried  across  the  river.  They 
then  found  the  ferryman,  and  by  threats  compelled 
him  to  reveal  the  hiding  place  of  Booth,  which  was  in 
a  barn  belonging  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Garratt.  It 
was  near  the  town  of  Bowling  Green,  between  that 
place  and  Port  Royal.  Bowling  Green  is  the  county 
seat  of  Caroline  county.  The  pursuing  party,  twen- 
ty-eight in  number,  were  a  portion  of  the  Sixteenth 
New  York  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  Conger.  They 


98  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

surrounded  the  barn  about  dusk,  on  Tuesday  eve- 
ning, and  soon  ascertained  that  Booth  and  Harold 
were  both  in  the  barn.  A  long  parley  ensued.  Har- 
old finally  surrendered,  but  Booth  utterly  refused  to 
give  himself  up,  and  expressed  a  determination  never 
to  be  taken  alive.  Col.  Conger  becoming  convinced 
that  longer  delay  was  useless,  and  wishing,  if  possi- 
ble, to  avoid  snooting  him  dead,  ordered  fire  to  be 
communicated  to  some  loose  straw  in  the  barn,  hop- 
ing to  drive  him  out  where  he  could  be  captured. 

Booth,  seeing  death  or  surrender  was  inevitable, 
obstinately  refused  to  come  out,  and  leaning  upon  his 
crutch,  was  in  the  act  of  taking  aim  at  one  of  the  pur- 
suing party',  who  were  stationed  so  as  to  command  ev- 
ery point  of  observation.  Lieutenant  Dougherty, 
seeing  his  movements,  ordered  Sergeant  Boston  Cor- 
bett  to  fire,  which  he  did  with  a  large  cavalry  pistol. 
The  ball  entered  just  below  the  right  ear,  and  came 
out  about  an  inch  above  the  left  ear.  He  died  after 
suffering  about  two  and  a  half  hours  in  great  agony. 
The  barn  was  fired  about  three  o'clock  Wednesday 
morning,  April  26th  ;  Booth  received  the 'shot  within 
less  than  an  hour,  and  died  that  morning.  He  was  a 
native  of  Baltimore,  and  was  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
The  body  of  Booth  was  taken  back  to  Washington, 
and  after  being  fully  identified,  was  disposed  of  by 
government  authority. 

Nine  of  the  more  immediate  conspirators,  including 
Booth,  suffered  speedy  punishment.  Harold,  Payne — 
who  attempted  to  take  the  life  of  Mr.  Seward — Atze- 
rott  and  Mrs.  Surratt,  were  hung ;  Arnold,  Mudd  and 
McLaughlin,  were  imprisoned  for  life,  and  Spangler 
for  six  years. 

John  Wilkes  Booth  assassinated  Abraham  Lincoln 
not  because  there  was  any  personal  animosity  between 
them,  but  as  part  of  a  plot  to  kill  all  the  leading 
members  of  the  Government  that  had  conquered  the 
slaveholders'  conspiracy  to  destroy  it.  While  the 


TJFE  OF  ABRAHAM    JJNO<TLN.  99 

events  connected  with  the  capture,  death  and  burial 
of  the  assassin,  were  transpiring,  it  was  far  different 
with  his  victim. 

The  excitement  caused  by  the  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  President  Lincoln,  not  only  in  our  own  na- 
tion but  throughout  the  civilized  world,  has  never 
been  equalled  in  human  history.  Cities,  towns  and 
villages,  were  draped  in  mourning ;  all  classes  and 
conditions  of  people  lamented  him  as  a  father,  and 
everywhere  the  insignia  of  sorrow  was  visible. 

We  left  the  party  who  had  gone  down  to  Fort 
Sumter  to  restore  the  old  flag  to  its  rightful  place, 
at  the  close  of  Mr.  Beecher's  oration,  still  on  that  pile 
of  historic  ruins.  All  unconscious  of  what  was  trans- 
piring at  the  capitol  of  the  nation — there  being  no 
telegraphic  communication  between  it  and  the  rebel 
States — the  excursionists  betook  themselves  to  sight- 
seeing, and  thus  spent  the  entire  day  of  Saturday,  the 
fifteenth,  visiting  famous  localities  of  the  once 
haughty,  but  now  desolate  and  ruined  city  of  Charles- 
ton. The  Sabbath,  too,  was  appropriately  spent  in 
religious  services  among  the  freed  people  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Beecher  preached  in  Zion's  Church  to  an  audi- 
dience  of  three  thousand  dusky-skinned  but  eager  and 
attentive  auditors.  Thus  they  spent  Saturday  and 
Sabbath,  intending  to  continue  down  the  coast  to 
Florida  before  their  return.  As  they  were  about  to 
resume  their  journey,  the  appalling  news  reached 
them  that  President  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated  on 
the  evening  of  the  day  they  had  just  been  celebrating. 
All  desire  to  extend  their  visit  vanished,  and  the  prow 
of  the  Arago  was  at  once  turned  homeward  that  they 
might  the  more  freely  unite  with  their  friends  in  ex- 
pressions of  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  him  who  had  piloted 
our  Ship  of  State  safely  through  the  most  teriffic  storm 
of  civil  war  ever  experienced  by  any  government  on 
the  globe. 


100  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 

Two  scenes  are  indelibly  fixed  in  my  mind,  that 
will  illustrate  the  sudden  plunge  of  the  nation  from 
the  highest  delirium  of  joy  to  the  lowest  depth  of  sor- 
row. I  was  in  the  beautiful  little  city  of  Richmond, 
Indiana,  during  the  closing  scenes  of  the  rebellion. 
Monday  morning,  April  10,  1865,  was  as  bright  and 
beautiful  as  any  that  has  dawned  upon  the  earth 
since  the  creation.  After  an  early  breakfast  I  en- 
tered my  office  and  commenced  work  for  the  day.  I 
had  been  there  but  a  short  time  until  there  appeared 
to  be  some  unusual  commotion  in  the  streets.  I  went 
down,  and  after  a  little  inquiry  learned  that  a  telegram 
had  just  been  received  announcing  that  the  whole 
rebel  army  of  northern  Virginia,  that  had  evacuated 
the  Confederate  capitol  but  a  few  days  before,  under 
General  Lee,  had  surrendered  to  General  Grant  the 
day  before,  at  Appomattox  Court  House. 

All  understood  that  this  was  virtually  an  end  of 
the  rebellion  ;  men  shouted  the  news  to  each  other. 
Grant  has  captured  the  rebel  army  !  Lee  has  surren- 
dered to  Grant !  The  rebels  are  defeated  !  The  war 
will  soon  be  over,  and  then  Peace  !  Peace  ! !  Peace  ! ! . 
Such  shouts  as  these  were  mingled  with  all  other  im- 
aginable expressions  of  delight.  Business  houses 
were  closed ;  in  fact,  some  had  not  yet  been  opened 
for  the  day.  Men  and  boys  snatched  each  other's  hats 
and  coats ;  some  even  turned  their  coats  inside  out, 
and  ran  and  shouted  as  if  they  had  lost  their  reason. 
Some  laughed,  and  some  shed  tears  of  joy. 

The  principal  street  of  the  town  is  a  beautiful  wide 
avenue,  lined  on  either  side  for  nearly  a  mile  with 
business  houses.  These  houses  nearly  all  had  wooden 
awnings  in  front.  Some  of  them  were  old  and  delap- 
idated,  and  even  those  that  were  comparatively  new, 
having  been  built  without  any  effort  at  uniformity, 
destroyed  the  beauty  of  the  street.  For  several  weeks 
a  formidable  party  had  been  trying  to  get  an  ordi- 
nance passed  to  have  them  all  removed,  but  they  were 


LIFE   OF   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  101 

not  successful.  The  City  Hall  was  on  a  cross  street, 
a  short  distance  from  this  main  thoroughfare.  On  the 
morning  of  which  I  am  writing,  and  while  the  excite- 
ment was  at  its  highest  point,  one  of  these  men,  with 
his  coat  turned  inside  out,  ran  from  the  direction  of 

•the  City  Hall,  and  yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice  that 
the  City  Council  had  just  passed  an  ordinance  that  all 

.  those  wooden  awnings  should  be  removed.  Men  never 
stopped  to  think  that  it  was  not  possible  for  the  Coun- 
cil to  have  assembled  at  such  a  time.  But  all  rushed 
for  the  awnings,  and  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  me 
to  write  this,  every  house  was  stripped  from  one  end 
of  the  street  to  the  other.  All  the  materials,  old  and 
new,  were  piled  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  At  night, 
bonfires  were  made  at  every  street-crossing,  and  all 
the  rubbish  consumed.  As  soon  as  the  work  of  de- 
molition commenced,  an  enterprising  photographer 
placed  a  huge  camera  at  one  end  of  the  street,  and 
produced  one  of  the  most  comic  historical  pictures  011 
record. 

The  other  scene  was  enacted  at  the  same  place  five 
days  later.  I  was  in  my  office  again,  quite  early  on 
Saturday  morning,  April  loth.  A  genial,  jovial 
friend,  who  had  stepped  in  to  say  good  morning,  left 
the  office  laughing  and  talking,  but  very  soon  re- 
turned with  the  tears  coursing  down  his  manly 
cheeks,  and  with  faltering  voice  said  :  ''President 
Lincoln  and  Secretary  Seward  were  assassinated  last 
night."  After  exchanging  a  few  words  with  him,  I 
went  out  on  the  street.  The  day  was  as  bright  and 
beautiful  as  the  Monday  before  had  been.  Some 
houses  were  open,  and  others  were  being  opened,  but 
all  thoughts  of  business  vanished.  Men  gathered  in 
groups,  and  in  subdued  language  communicated  the 
sad  news.  The  telegraph  office  was  besieged  for  more 
news  until  it  was  known  that  the  President  was  cer- 
tainly dead,  but  that  Mr.  Seward  was  yet  alive  and 
might  possibly  recover. 


102  LIFE   OP   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

Men  wandered  about  in  silence,  or  stood  in  groups 
and  talked  of  the  horrid  crime  and  its  probable  effect 
on  the  country.  Many  were  the  expressions  of  sorrow 
for  the  martyred  President,  and  from  none  were  these 
more  heart-felt  than  the  many  Quakers  who  reside  in 
that  city  and  vicinity.  Some  business  houses  and  pri- 
vate residences  were  draped  in  mourning.  Thus  the 
day  wore  away,  and  from  the  beginning  to  its  close 
sadness  and  gloom  were  depicted  on  every  counte- 
nance. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


When  the  sad  tidings  of  the  assassination  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  were  conveyed  upon  the  wings  of  the  tele- 
graph to  all  parts  of  America  on  the  morning  of  April 
15,  1865,  there  was  no  place  where  it  fell  with  such 
crushing  weight  as  in  the  city  of  Springfield,  where  his 
trials  and  triumphs  were  personally  known  to  all.  This 
was  Saturday  morning.  Only  five  days  before,  Mon- 
day morning,  April  tenth,  the  news  had  been  received 
that  the  largest  part  of  the  rebel  army,  under  General 
Lee,  had  surrendered  to  our  own  General  Grant.  On  the 
reception  of  the  news  of  that  surrender  in  Springfield, 
flags  leaped  as  if  by  magic  from  public  buildings  and 
private  residences  all  over  the  city.  An  hour  later,  all 
business  was  suspended,  and  the  people  were  assembled 
in  and  around  the  State  House  square,  to  congratulate 
each  other  on  the  glorious  news.  The  excitement  in- 
creased with  the  crowd,  and  found  expression  in  hur- 
rahs, songs  and  grotesque  processions,  and  the  church 
and  fire  bells  all  over  the  city  rang  out  their  merry 
peals.  This  was  continued  for  hours,  and  until  all 
classes,  old  and  young,  joined  in  the  general  jubilee. 
Flags,  large  and  small  were  attached  to  houses,  horses, 
vehicles,  hats,  coats,  and  every  other  place  where  a  flag 
could  be  displayed.  Business  houses  and  private  resi- 
dences vied  with  each  other  in  their  display  of  patriotic 
emblems.  A  splendid  flag  was  thrown  to  the  breeze 
from  the  old  home  of  President  Lincoln. 

In  the  afternoon  a  procession,  civic  and  military, 
chiefly  grotesque  and  ludicrous,  paraded  the  streets. 
The  principal  object  of  interest  was  the  old  dark  bay 


104  THE  GKEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

horse  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  ridden  many  hundred  miles 
on  professional  business  and  in  his  political  campaigns. 
"  Old  Bob,"  or  "  Robin,"  was  decorated  with  a  rich 
blanket,  red,  white  and  blue,  thickly  studded  with 
flags,  and  bearing  the  inscription,  "  Old  Abe's  Horse." 
He  was  soon  robbed  of  his  flags,  they  having  been  se- 
cured by  the  people  as  mementoes. 

About  half  past  six  o'clock  p.  m.  a  salute  of  twenty 
guns  was  fired,  followed  by  a  fine  display  of  fire-works. 
Many  of  the  public  and  private  residences  were  then 
illuminated.  By  eight  o'clock  an  immense  crowd  of 
citizens  had  assembled  in  the  State  House  and  grounds 
surrounding  it.  Patriotic  speeches  were  made  by  a 
number  of  prominent  men,  interspersed  with  music  by 
a  fine  band.  At  a  later  hour  the  citizens  dispersed  to 
their  homes ;  the  noise  died  away,  and  the  city  was  at 
rest.  It  was  but  a  day  or  two  until  an  order  was  issued 
by  the  Secretary  of  War  for  all  recruiting  and  drafting 
to  cease.  This  assured  the  people  that  the  government 
regarded  the  war  to  be  virtually  at  an  end,  and  gave  a 
new  impetus  to  the  rejoicing  all  over  the  land.  This 
description  of  the  way  the  people  acted  in  Springfield 
will  apply  to  hundreds  and  thousands  of  towns  and 
cities  all  over  our  country.  The  people  continued  to 
meet  each  other,  everywhere,  with  broad  smiles  and 
words  of  congratulation,  up  to  Friday  night,  April  14. 

We  will  return  again  to  the  citizens  of  Springfield, 
and  describe  their  actions  as  an  illustration  of  the  sud- 
den change  in  the  feelings  of  the  people  all  over  the 
land,  from  almost  a  delirium  of  joy,  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  sorrow. 

On  the  fatal  Saturday  morning,  April  15,  the  citi- 
zens of  Springfield,  half  dressed,  and,  perhaps,  yawn- 
ing from  the  effects  of  a  full  night's  sleep,  as  they 
sauntered  out  to  their  front  yards  and  took  up  the  morn- 
ing Journal,  saw  nothing  unusual  in  the  paper  at  first, 
but  on  opening  it  and  finding  the  rules  reversed,  dis- 
playing heavy  dark  lines  between  the  columns,  they 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       105 

hastened  to  find  the  cause.     It  was  the  work  of  a  mo- 
ment to  read,  in  substance : 

"  President  Lincoln  shot  by  an  assassin,  in  Ford's  Theatre,  last 
night !  Secretary  Sewarcl,  at  the  same  time,  stabbed,  as  he  lay  in 
bed,  from  the  effect  of  wounds  received  by  being  thrown  from  his 
carriage  a  few  days  before ! !  Both  thought  to  be  in  a  dying  con- 
dition!!! Vice  President  Johnson,  Secretary  Stanton  and  Lieut. 
General  Grant  were  to  have  been  assassinated  also,  but  some  of 
the  conspirators  failed  to  perform  the  parts  assigned  them!!!! 
General  Grant  saved  by  unexpectedly  leaving  the  Capital ! ! ! ! ! 

By  a  common  impulse,  the  people  assembled  about 
the  State  House  square  to  talk  of  the  awful  tidings. 
The  telegraph  office  was  besieged  for  more  news.  It 
was  ascertained  at  an  early  hour  that  the  President  was 
DEAD,  and  later  in  the  day,  that  Secretary  Seward 
would  probably  recover.  After  the  first  shock,  all  felt 
a  desire  to  give  some  public  expression  to  their  feelings. 
Very  soon  the  sad  insignia  of  sorrow  were  displayed  in 
profusion  from  the  houses  of  the  wealthy,  and  by  all  in 
proportion  to  their  ability.  The  very  poor  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city  were  equally  anxious  with  their  more 
favored  fellow  citizens,  to  testify  their  sorrow  for  the 
untimely  death  of  him  whom  all  loved.  From  the  doors 
of  many  such  were  displayed  a  piece  of  any  black  goods 
they  could  obtain,  if  it  was  but  a  narrow  strip  and  a 
few  inches  in  length.  These  demonstrations  were  made, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  without  any  distinction,  what- 
ever, as  to  political  preferences. 

The  crime  was  so  diabolical,  and  so  firmly  had  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  entrenched  himself  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  that  many,  for  the  time  being  were  involunta- 
rily disposed  to  question  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
God  in  permitting  the  awful  deed  to  be  consummated. 
This  was  doubtless  felt  in  many  instances  where  it 
failed  to  find  utterance  in  words ;  but,  in  some  cases, 
it  was  outspoken.  A  clergyman  of  Springfield  had 


106  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

a  niece  residing  in  his  family,  who,  as  soon  as  she 
heard  the  news,  ran  to  him,  and,  with  tears  streaming 
down  her  face,  said,  "  O,  uncle,  it  does  seem  to  me  that 
I  can  never  love  God  any  more."  With  the  more 
thoughtful,  however,  it  created  a  feeling  of  inquiry  as  to 
why  it  was  permitted,  and  with  all  such,as  expressed  by 
the  mayor  of  Springfield  to  the  City  Council  that  morn- 
ing, the  inquiry  was,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  us 
to  do." 

A  call  was  early  issued  by  the  Mayor,  J.  S:  Vreden- 
burg,  for  a  meeting  of  the  City  Council  at  ten  o'clock. 
A  notice  was  also  circulated,  that  a  meeting  of  the 
citizens  would  be  held  in  the  State  House  yard  at  twelve 
o'clock,  noon.  When  the  City  Council  assembled,  it 
passed  resolutions  to  unite  with  the  citizens  in  their 
public  demonstration,  and  after  appointing  a  committee 
to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  their  feelings,  ad- 
journed until  four  o'clock  p.  m. 

The  meeting  at  the  State  House  was  called  to  order 
at  noon,  and  after  organizing,  several  of  those  who 
had  long  been  intimately  acquainted  with  the  fallen 
chieftain  made  interesting  remarks,  calling  up  many 
reminiscences  of  his  past  life.  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
as  chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose, 
reported  a  series  of  .resolutions,  which  were  adopted  as 
expressive  of  the  feelings  of  the  meeting.  I  find  space 
for  a  single  one  of  those  resolutions  : 

Resolved,  That  inasmuch  as  this  city  has,  for  a  long  time,  been 
the  home  of  the  President,  in  which  he  has  graced  with  his  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  honesty  of  purpose,  all  the  relations  of  life,  it 
is  appropriate  that  ils  "  City  of  the  Dead "  should  be  the  final 
resting  place  of  all  of  him  that  is  mortal,  and  to  this  end  we 
respectfully  request  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  the  part 
of  the  City  Council,  to  act  in  conjunction  with  the  Governor  of 
the  State,  with  a  view  of  bringing  hither  his  remains  for  inter- 
ment. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        107 

The  City  Council  assembled,  pursuant  to  adjourn- 
ment, and  adopted  the  resolution  passed  by  the  public 
assembly  relative  to  the  removal  of  the  remains,  and 
appointed  the  following  committee,to  proceed  to  Wash- 
ington City,  for  the  purpose  of  co-operating  with  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  —  who  was  there  at  the  time  of  the 
assassination  —  in  bringing  the  remains  of  President 
Lincoln  to  Springfield :  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Hon. 
Lyman  Trumbull,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Hon.  Shelby 
M.  Cullom,  Ex-Governor  Richard  Yates,  Gen.  I.  N. 
Haynie,  Gen.  John  A.  McClernand,  Ex-Mayor  J.  S. 
Vredenburg  and  Mayor  elect  Thomas  J.  Dennis.  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  was  informed  by  telegraph  of  the  action 
of  the  City  Council.  A  series  of  resolutions,  reported 
by  Alderman  Wohlgemuth,  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  for  that  purpose,  were  adopted  as  ex- 
pressing the  feelings  of  the  members  of  the  council. 
Within  a  week  after  the  assassination,  almost  every 
society  in  Springfield,  religious,  political,  benevolent 
and  social,  passed  resolutions  expressive  of  their  sorrow 
for  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  horror  at  the 
crime  of  his  assassination. 

On  Sunday,  the  sixteenth,  the  people  nocked  to  the 
churches,  as  though  they  were  fleeing  from  some  great 
calamity.  Men  who  had  not  been  seen  in  the  house  of 
God  for  months,  were,  on  that  day,  among  the  earliest, 
and  seemingly  the  most  attentive  and  devotional  wor- 
shippers. In  some  of  the  churches,  the  pulpits  were 
draped  in  mourning,  and  the  services  partook  of  sol- 
emnities appropriate  to  a  funeral  occasion. 

We  will  once  more  look  upon  the  scenes  being  en- 
acted at  the  capital  of  the  nation.  President  Lincoln 
breathed  his  last  at  twenty-two  minutes  past  seven 
o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  April  15.  At  half  past 
nine  o'clock,  the  body  was  removed  to  the  Executive 
Mansion,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day  it  was 
embalmed  and  otherwise  prepared  for  sepulture,  by 


108  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

being  placed  in  a  wooden  coffin,  upon  which  was  a 
plate  bearing  the  inscription  : 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

16'i'II   PRESIDENT   OP   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

BORN   FEBRUARY   12,    1809. 

DIED   APRIL    15,   1865. 

The  coffin  was  then  placed  on  a  dais  within  a  grand 
catafalque,  in  the  East  Room,  surrounded  by  the  sad 
emblems  of  woe  and  covered  with  the  most  rare  and 
costly  floral  tributes  of  affection. 

On  the  same  day,  at  eleven  o'clock,  Chief  Justice 
Chase  administered  to  the  Vice  President,  Andrew 
Johnson,  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  By  this  prompt  action,  the  interregnum  in  the 
office  of  President  was  but  a  little  more  than  three 
hours  in  duration.  President  Johnson  immediately 
called  a  meeting  of  the  Cabinet.  At  this  meeting  Wil- 
liam Hunter  was  appointed  Acting  Secretary  of  State, 
to  serve  during  the  disability  of  Secretary  Seward. 
On  Monday  morning  the  following  proclamation  was 
issued  and  telegraphed  to  all  parts  of  the  nation  : 

"  The  undersigned  is  directed  to  announce  that  the  funeral  cere- 
monies of  the  lamented  Chief  Magistrate  will  take  place  at  the 
Executive  Mansion,  in  this  city,  at  12  o'clock  noon,  Wednesday,  the 
nineteenth  inst.  The  various  religious  denominations  throughout 
the  country  are  invited  to  meet  in  their  respective  places  of  wor- 
ship at  the  time,  for  the  purpose  of  solemnizing  the  occasion  by 
appropriate  ceremonies. 

W.  HUNTER, 

Acting  Secretary  of  State. 
Washington,  April  17,  1865." 

On  the  same  day,  the  following  order  was  issued, 
preparatory  to  observing  funeral  rites  suitable  to  the 
occasion,  at  Washington : 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       109 

WAR  DEPARTMENT,  ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  OFFICE,) 
WASHINGTON,  April  17,  1865.  ) 

The  following  order  of  arrangements  is  directed  : 
ORDER  OF  PROCESSION. 

FUNERAL  ESCORT  IN  COLUMN  OF  MARCH. 
One  Regiment  of  Cavalry. 
Two  Batteries  of  Artillery. 

Battalion  of  Marines. 

Two  Regiments  of  Infantry. 

Commander  of  Escort  and  Staff. 

Dismounted  Officers  of  Marine  Corps,  Navy  and  Army,  in  the 
order  named ;  Mounted  Officers  of  Marine  Corps,  Navy  and  Army, 
in  the  order  named ;  all  Military  Officers  to  be  in  Uniform,  with 
Side-arms. 

CIVIC  PROCESSION. 

The  Surgeon  General  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  Physicians 

to  the  Deceased. 
Clergy  in  Attendance. 

PALL  BEARERS.  PALL  BEARERS. 

On  tlw  part  of  the  Senate.  On  the  part  of  the  Bouse. 


Mr  Foster,  of  Connecticut. 
Mr.  Morgan,  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Johnson,  of  Maryland. 
Mr.  Yates,  of  Illinois. 
Mr.  Wade,  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  Conness,  of  California. 


Mr.  Dawes,  of  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Coffroth,  of  Pennsylvania, 
Mr.  Smith,  of  Kentucky. 
Mr.  Colfax,  of  Indiana. 
Mr.  Worthington,  of  Nevada. 
Mr.  Washburn,  of  Illinois. 


Army.  Navy. 


Lieut.  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant. 
Major  General  H.  W.  Halleck. 
Brev.  Brig.  Gen.  W.  A.  Nichols. 


Vice  Admiral  D.  G.  Farragut. 
Rear  Admiral  W.  B.  Shubrick. 
Col.  Jacob  Zeilen,  Marine  Corps. 


Civilians. 

O.  H.  Browning.  Thomas  Corwin, 

George  Ashmun.  Simon  Cameroa. 

Family. 

Relatives. 
The  Delegations  of  States  of  Illinois  and  Kentucky,  as  Mourners. 

The  President. 
The  Cabinet  Ministers. 
The  Diplomatic  Corps. 

Ex-Presidents. 

The  Chief  Justice,  » 

And  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court. 


110  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

The  Senate  of  the  United  States,  preceded  by  their  Officers. 

Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States. 

Governors  of  the  several  States  and  Territories. 

Legislatures  of  the  several  States  and  Territories. 

The  Federal  Judiciary, 

And  the  Judiciary  of  the  several  States  and  Territories. 

The  Assistant  Secretaries  of  State,  Treasury,  War,  Navy,  Interior, 

and  the  Assistant  Postmaster   General,  and  the 

Assistant  Attorney  General 
Officers  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 

Members  and  Officers  of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions. 
Corporate  Authorities  of  Washington,  Georgetown 

and  other  cities. 

Delegations  of  the  several  States. 

The  Reverend  the  Clergy  of  the  Various  Denominations. 

Clerks  and  employees  of  the  several  Departments  and  Bureaus, 

Preceded  by  the  heads  of  such  Bureaus  and  their  respective 

Chief  Clerks. 

Such  Societies  as  may  wish  to  join  the  Procession. 
Citizens  and  Strangers. 

The  troops  designated  to  form  the  escort  will  assemble  in  the 
Avenue  north  of  the  President's  house,  and  form  line  precisely  at  11 
o'clock  a.  m.,  on  Wednesday,  the  nineteenth  inst.  with  the  left 
resting  on  Fifteenth  street.  The  procession  will  move  precisely  at 
2  o'clock  p.  m.  on  the  conclusion  of  the  religious  services  at  the 
Executive  Mansion — appointed  to  commence  at  12  o'clock  meri- 
dian— when  minute  guns  will  be  fired  by  detachments  of  artillery, 
stationed  at  St.  John's  Church,  the  City  Hall,  and  at  the  Capitol. 
At  the  same. hour,  the  bells  of  the  several  churches  in  Washing- 
ton, Georgetown  and  Alexandria  will  be  tolled. 

At  sunrise  on  Wednesday,  the  nineteenth  inst.  a  federal  salute  will 
be  fired1  from  the  Military  Stations  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington, 
minute  guns  between  the  hours  of  12  and  3  o'clock,  and  a  national 
salute  at  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

The  usual  badge  of  mourning  will  be  worn  on  the  left  arm,  and 
on  the  hilt  of  the  sword. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War : 

W.  A.  NICHOLS, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      Ill 

The  Governors  of  several  of  the  loyal  States,  imme- 
diately after  the  capture  of  the  rebel  army  under  Gen- 
eral Lee,  issued  proclamations  appointing  days  for 
thanksgiving  in  their  respective  States.  These  were 
all  countermanded  after  the  assassination  of  the  Presi- 
dent, and  the  proclamation  of  the  Acting  Secretary  of 
State  adopted  instead.  That  proclamation  was  incor- 
porated into  and  made  the  principal  part  of  the  procla- 
mations by  Governors  of  States  and  Mayors  of  cities 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  also  in  the  British 
Provinces  of  North  America.  The  proclamations  of 
some  of  the  Mayors  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada  were 
fully  equal  in  their  expressions  of  heartfelt  sympathy 
and  condolence  with  those  from  similar  officers  in  the 
United  States. 

In  the  absence  of  Governor  Oglesby  from  the  State, 
Lieutenant  Governor  William  Bross  issued  a  procla- 
mation to  the  people  of  Illinois,  recommending  them 
to  assemble  in  their  several  places  of  worship,  at  as 
early  a  day  as  possible,  to  "  devoutly  implore  Almighty 
God  to  have  mercy  on  us ;  that  He  will  restrain  the 
wrath  of  man  and  cause  the  remainder  of  his  wrath  to 
praise  Him." 

On  the  same  day  that  Secretary  Hunter  issued  his 
proclamation,  Governor  Oglesby  adopted  it,  and  adds : 

"Responding  to  the  spirit  of  the  announcement,  I  call  upon  the 
people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  home  of  her  martyred  son,  to 
meet  in  their  various  churches  and  places  of  public  worship  on 
that  day,  to  observe  it  in  such  manner  as  this  painful  occasion 
shall  suggest  at  the  solemn  hour. 

Done  at  Springfield,  April  17,  1865. 

R.  J.  OGLESBY." 

Hon.  T.  J.  Dennis  having  been  installed  Mayor  on 
the  evening  of  the  17th,  his  first  official  act  was  to  issue 
a  proclamation  in  harmony  with  that  of  the  Acting 


112  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Secretary  of  State  at  Washington,  and  the  one  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby,  calling  on  the  people  of  Springfield  to 
assemble  at  their  several  places  of  worship  at  the  time 
designated  to  engage  in  services  appropriate  to  the  oc- 
casion. 


CHAPTER   X. 


On  Wednesday  morning,  April  19,  1865,  the  sun 
arose  in  splendor  on  the  glittering  domes  of  the  nation's 
Capital.  The  East  Room  of  the  Executive  Mansion, 
where  a  Harrison  and  a  Taylor  had  lain  in  state,  now 
contained  all  that  was  mortal  of  one  who  was  immeas- 
urably greater  than  either  of  them,  judging  by  the  re- 
sult of  his  labors  and  the  grateful  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held  by  the  people  of  the  nation.  The  hour  was 
approaching  for  the  services  to  commence.  None  could 
be  admitted  without  tickets,  and  there  being  only  room 
for  six  hundred  persons,  that  number  of  cards  were  is- 
sued, of  which  the  following  is  an  imitation  : 


SOUTH. 


trie  Jz&eaAet,  fo  trie 
EXECUTIVE  MAXTSIO2T, 

On  "WEDNESDAY,  the 


Near  11  o'clock  a  body  of  about  sixty  clergymen 
entered  the  Mansion.  Then  came  heads  of  Government 
Bureaus,  Governors  of  States,  members  of  municipal 


114  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

governments,  prominent  officers  of  the  army  and  navy, 
representatives  of  foreign  governments,  or  what  is 
usually  termed  the  Diplomatic  Corps.  At  noon,  Presi- 
dent Johnson,  in  company  with  his  cabinet,  except 
Secretary  Seward,  of  the  State  Department,  approached 
the  catafalque  and  took  a  last  look  at  his  illustrious 
predecessor.  The  religious  services  were  opened  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Hall,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  Rector  of  the  Epiphany,  who  read  portions  of 
Scripture  used  in  the  impressive  burial  service  of  that 
church,  and  prayer  by  Bishop  Simpson,  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

Rev.  Dr.  P.  D.  Gurley,  of  the  New  York  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  pastor  of  the  President  and 
family,  then  delivered  an  impressive  funeral  sermon. 
I  can  only  give  a  single  quotation,  but  that  will  enable 
us  to  understand  how  President  Lincoln  labored  with 
such  untiring  patience  in  the  discharge  of  his  official 
duties : 

"  I  speak  what  I  know,  and  testify  what  I  have  often  heard  him 
say,  when  I  affirm  that  the  Divine  goodness  and  mercy  were  the 
props  on  which  he  leaned.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  emphatic  and 
deep  emotion  with  which  he  said,  in  this  very  room,  to  a  company 
of  clergymen  and  others,  who  called  to  pay  him  their  respects,  in 
the  darkest  days  of  our  civil  conflict :  '  Gentlemen,  my  hope  of 
success  in  this  struggle  rests  on  that  immutable  foundation,  the 
justness  and  goodness  of  God ;  and  when  events  are  very  threat- 
ening, I  still  hope  that,  in  some  way,  all  will  be  well  in  the  end, 
because  our  cause  is  just,  and  God  will  be  on  our  side.'  Such  was 
his  sublime  and  holy  faith,  and  it  was  an  anchor  to  his  soul.  It 
made  him  firm  and  strong ;  it  emboldened  him  in  the  pathway  of 
duty,  however  rugged  and  perilous  it  might  be ;  it  made  him  val- 
iant for  the  right,  for  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity,  and  it  held 
him  in  steady  patience  to  a  policy  of  administration  which  he 
thought  both  God  and  humanity  required  him  to  adopt." 

Rev.  Dr.  E.  H.  Gray,  Pastor  of  the  E  Street  Baptist 
Church,  who  was  at  the  time  Chaplain  of  the  United 


AND  THK  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      115 

States  Senate,  closed   the   services   at   the  Executive 
Mansion  by  a  fervent  prayer. 

The  coffin  was  then  conveyed  to  the  hearse,  and  at 
two  o'clock  the  procession  began  to  move.  It  took 
the  line  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  and  was  one  hour 
and  a  half  in  passing  the  Executive  Mansion.  The 
rooms,  porticos  and  buildings  at  all  elevated  points  in 
the  city  were  occupied  by  spectators.  As  the  proces- 
sion moved,  all  the  bells  of  Washington,  Georgetown 
and  Alexandria  tolled,  and  minute  guns  were  fired  at 
the  three  points  named  in  the  order  of  April  17th. 

First  in  order  of  procession  was  a  detachment  of 
colored  troops,  then  followed  white  regiments  of 
infantry,  cavalry,  batteries  of  artillery  and  the  marine 
corps ;  army  officers  on  foot,  the  pall  bearers  in  car- 
riages, and  then  came  the  HEARSE,  drawn  by  six  white 
horses.  The  coffin  was  so  elevated  as  to  be  seen  from 
all  points.  The  floor  of  the  hearse  was  covered  with 
evergreens  and  white  flowers.  Then  followed  Presi- 
dent Johnson  and  his  cabinet,  the  Diplomatic  corps, 
members  of  Congress,  Governors  of  States,  delegations 
from  the  various  States — that  from  Illinois  having  the 
post  of  honor  as  chief  mourners — then  came  clerks  of 
departments,  military  organizations,  fire  companies  and 
civic  associations,  public  and  private  carriages,  closing 
with  a  large  body  of  colored  men  and  a  great  concourse 
of  citizens  and  strangers. 

Arriving  at  the  Capitol,  the  coffin  was  conveyed  to 
the  rotunda,  where  it  was  again  placed  on  a  magnificent 
catafalque.  This  was  incomparably  the  largest  and 
most  imposing  funeral  procession  ever  seen  in  the 
Capital  of  the  nation. 

The  nineteenth  of  April  was  observed  with  religious 
services  all  over  the  loyal  States  and  the  reclaimed 
rebel  States  and  parts  of  States,  and  in  the  British  Prov- 
inces of  North  America.  In  addition  to  this,  the  people 
of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  towns  and  cities  in  the 
Union  turned  out  in  solemn  processions,  bearing  em- 


116  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

blems,  mottoes  and  other  devices  expressive  of  their 
love  for  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  of  their 
sorrow  for  his  death.  Many  of  these  processions  are 
mentioned  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  as  being  com- 
posed of  from  five  to  twenty  thousand  persons. 

Aside  from  what  was  done  in  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton on  that  day,  I  shall  only  describe  the  public  dem- 
onstrations at  the  old  home  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  Springfield, 
Illinois. 

Springfield,  on  the  nineteenth,  presented  the  appear- 
ance of  deep  gloom  and  sadness.  On  the  day  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  death  all  goods  in  the  stores  that  could  be  used 
for  draping  the  buildings  in  mourning  were  taken,  and 
more  ordered  at  once  by  the  merchants.  Such  addi- 
tions were  made  that  on  this  day  the  insignia  of  sorrow 
were  profusely  displayed  on  the  State  House,  Governor's 
Mansion,  Post  Office,  Arsenal,  the  military  headquar- 
ters of  Gen.  John  Cook,  all  the  State  and  county  offices, 
and  nearly  all  the  business  houses  and  residences  in  the 
city.  The  feelings  of  the  people  prompted  them  almost 
universally  to  comply  with  proclamation  of  Mayor 
Dennis,  and  close  their  houses  of  business.  Flags  on 
the  public  buildings  were  draped  with  mourning  and 
hung  at  half  mast.  Stillness,  more  profound  than  that 
of  the  Sabbath,  reigned  throughout  the  city.  Before 
the  hour  appointed  for  assembling,  the  people  began  to 
wend  their  way  to  the  churches.  When  the  time 
arrived  for  the  services  to  commence — at  noon — twenty 
minute-guns  were  fired,  at  the  Arsenal.  The  churches 
were  nearly  all  filled  to  overflowing,  with  sorrowing 
and  attentive  audiences.  The  services  partook  partly 
of  religious  condolence  and  partly  of  panegyric  and 
eulogium.  Laymen,  as  well  as  ministers,  took  part  in 
the  exercises. 

In  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Lincoln  was  a  member,  and  which  the  family  attended 
while  in  Springfield,  there  were  several  brief  but  inter- 
esting addresses  delivered.  Rev.  Dr.  Bergen,  a  former 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       117 

pastor  of  the  Church,  and  the  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
the  first  law  partner  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  were  the  principal 
speakers.  The  address  by  Mr.  Stuart  is  spoken  of  as 
having  been  replete  with  interesting  reminiscences  of 
their  long  and  intimate  acquaintance,  and,  as  a  whole, 
was  such  a  fitting  eulogiura  on  the  life  and  character  of 
the  departed  Chief  Magistrate,  as  to  do  honor  to  the 
head  and  heart  of  the  speaker. 

In  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  there  was  a 
number  of  speeches  also.  The  Rev.  Albert  Hale, 
Rev.  Dr.  Harkey  and  Hon.  Lyman  Trumbull,  were 
the  principal  speakers.  Mr.  Trumbull  spoke  for  nearly 
an  hour,  in  the  most  eloquent  and  touching  strain,  of 
the  virtues,  magnanimity  and  integrity  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  His  remarks  elicted  deep  responses  in  every 
heart.  His  address  is  remembered  by  those  who  heard 
it  as  an  elaborate,  truthful  and  pathetic  panegyric  on 
the  life,  character  and  public  services  of  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

In  the  First  Baptist  Church,  an  address  was  deliv- 
ered by  the  Hon.  W.  H.  Herndon,  who  had  been  the 
law  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  The  partnership  remained  until  the  day  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  death.  Mr.  Herndon  spoke  in  feeling  terms 
of  the  public  and  private  life  of  his  departed  friend 
and  co-laborer.  Hon.  J.  C.  Conkling,  a  long  and  inti- 
mate friend  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  at  the  same  church,  deliv- 
livered  an  equally  interesting  address,  in  which  many 
reminiscences  of  the  late  Cheif  Magistrate  were  called 
up.  Judge  Broadwell  addressed  the  people  at  the  same 
church,  also. 

Appropriate  services  were  held  in  the  Third  Presby- 
terian Church. 

At  the  First  Methodist  Church,  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Crane, 
the  pastor,  delivered  an  able  and  interesting  discourse 
on  the  life  and  public  services  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Services  suitable  to  the  occasion  were  held  in  the 
English  Lutheran,  North  Baptist,  German  Catholic  and 


118  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

many  other  churches  throughout  the  city.  It  was  a 
day  of  quiet,  subdued  and  heartfelt  mourning  for  the 
loss  of  one  whom  all  could  think  of  as  a  brother  and 
friend,  and  at  the  same  time  as  a  Chief  Magistrate  of 
a  great  nation,  unexcelled  by  any  potentate  of  either 
ancient  or  modern  times. 

Several  days  elapsed  after  the  assassination  before  it 
was  certainly  known  that  his  remains  would  be  brought 
back  to  his  old  home  for  interment. 

The  City  Council  of  Springfield  assembled,  on  the 
nineteenth  of  April,  and  passed  an  ordinance  appropri- 
ating twenty  thousand  dollars  to  be  expended  in  defray- 
ing the  expenses  connected  with  the  funeral  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  sixteenth  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  ordinance  was  approved  on  the  twentieth  by  Mayor 
Dennis.  Artists  were  put  to  work  to  decorate  the  State 
House,  both  on  the  exterior  and  interior,  with  mourn- 
ing drapery. 

A  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called,  on 
the  twenty-fourth  of  the  month,  to  make  suitable 
arrangements  for  the  reception  of  the  body,  then  on 
its  journey  from  the  Capital  of  the  nation  to  his 
former  prairie  home.  This  public  assembly,  in  order 
to  act  more  efficiently,  appointed  a  committee  of 
arrangements,  composed  of  men  who  had  all  enjoyed  a 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  now  martyred  Presi- 
dent. After  taking  the  initial  steps  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  temporary  vault,  to  be  ready  by  the  time  the 
funeral  train  should  arrive,  the  committee  resolved 
itself  into  a 

"NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION, 

for  the  purpose  of  receiving  funds  and  disbursing 
the  same,  for  obtaining  grounds  and  erecting  a  monu- 
ment thereon,  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  the  memory 
of  our  lamented  Chief  Magistrate,  Abraham  Lincoln." 
Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  then  Treasurer  of  the  State 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        119 

of  Illinois,  was  named  as  the  treasurer  of  the  Associa- 
tion, and  "  the  officers,  soldiers  and  sailors  in  the  army 
and  navy,  in  camps,  stations,  forts  and  hospitals ;  loyal 
leagues,  lodges  of  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows,  religious 
and  benevolent  associations,  churches  of  all  denomina- 
tions, and  the  colored  population,"  were  requested  to 
contribute  for  the  purpose,  the  second  week  in  May,  or 
as  soon  thereafter  as  possible,  and  remit  to  the  treas- 
urer named.  National  banks  and  postmasters  were 
requested  to  act  as  agents.  The  proceedings  were 
telegraphed  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  published 
in  the  papers.  Two  days  after  the  association  was 
organized,  its  Executive  Committee  published  an  ap- 
peal to  the  nation  that  it  would,  "  by  one  simultaneous 
movement,  testify  its  regard  for  his  exalted  character ; 
its  appreciation  of  his  distinguished  services,  and  its 
sorrow  for  his  death,  by  erecting  to  his  memory  a 
monument  that  will  forever  prove  that  republics  are 
not  ungrateful." 

The  Association  at  once  contracted  for  a  piece  of 
land,  containing  five  or  six  acres,  near  the  central  part 
of  the  city,  upon  which  to  erect  the  monument  con- 
templated, and  proceeded  to  construct  a  temporary 
vault — at  the  expense  of  the  city — as  a  resting  place 
for  the  remains  of  the  President  until  the  monument 
could  be  built.  Men  labored  upon  it  night  and  day, 
in  order  to  have  it  ready  by  the  time  the  funeral  cor- 
tege was  expected  to  arrive. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


We  will  now  return  to  the  city  of  Washington. 
Before  the  departure  of  the  funeral  cortege,  arrange- 
ments were  all  completed  for  transportation.  The  fol- 
lowing order  was  issued  : 

WAR  DEP'T,  WASHINGTON  CITY,  April  18, 1865. 
His  Excellency  Governor  Brough,  and  John  W.  Garrett,  Esq., 
are  Requested  to  act  as  a  Committee  of  Arrangements  of  transpor- 
tation of  the  remains  of  the  late  President,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
from  Washington  to  their  final  resting  place.  They  are  author- 
ized to  arrange  the  time  tables  with  the  respective  railroad  com- 
panies, and  do  and  regulate  all  things  for  safe  and  appropriate 
transportation.  They  will  cause  notice  of  this  appointment,  and 
their  acceptance,  to  be  published  for  the  public  information. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 
Secretary  of  War. 

Messrs.  Brough  and  Garrett  promptly  accepted  their 
appointments,  and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  their 
duties.  When  they  had  prepared  their  report,  the  fol- 
lowing was  issued  as  a  special  order  : 

WAR  DEP'T,  WASHINGTON  CITY,  April  18, 1865, 

Ordered: 

First,  That  the  following  report,  and  the  arrangements  therein 
specified,  be  approved  and  confirmed,  and  that  the  transportation 
of  the  remains  of  the  late  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  from 

Washington  to  his  former  home,  at  Springfield,  the  Capital  of  Illi- 
nois, be  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  said  report  and  the 
arrangements  therein  specified. 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        121 

Second,  That  for  the  purpose  of  said  transportation,  the  rail- 
roads over  which  said  transportation  is  made  be  declared  military 
roads,  subject  to  the  orders  of  the  War  Department,  and  that  the 
railroads  and  the  locomotives,  cars  and  engines  engaged  in  trans- 
portation be  subject  to  the  military  control  of  Brigadier  General 
McCallum,  superinteudant  of  military  railroad  transportation ;  and 
all  persons  are  required  to  conform  to  the  rules,  regulations,  orders 
and  directions  he  may  give  or  prescribe  for  the  transportation 
aforesaid ;  and  all  persons  disobeying  the  orders  shall  be  deemed 
to  have  violated  the  military  orders  of  the  War  Department,  and 
shall  be  dealt  with  accordingly. 

Third,  That  no  person 'shall  be  allowed  to  be  transferred  upon 
the  cars  constituting  the  funeral  train  save  those  who  are  specially 
authorized  by  the  order  of  the  War  Department.  The  funeral 
train  will  not  exceed  nine  cars,  including  baggage  car,  and  the 
hearse  car,  which  will  proceed  over  the  whole  route  from  Wash- 
ington to  Springfield,  Illinois. 

Fourth,  At  the  various  points  on  the  route,  where  the  remains 
are  to  be  taken  from  the  hearse  car  by  State  or  municipal  authori- 
ties, to  receive  public  honors,  according  to  the  aforesaid  pro- 
gramme, the  said  authorities  will  make  such  arrangements  as  may 
be  fitting  and  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  under  the  direction  of 
the  miltary  commander  of  the  division,  department,  or  district, 
but  the  remains  will  continue  always  under  the  special  charge  of 
the  officers  and  escort  assigned  by  this  Department. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

REPORT  OF  MESSRS.  BROUGH  AND  GARRETT. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  D.  C.,  April  18, 1865. 
Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War  : 

SIR — Under  your  commission  of  this  date,  we  have  the  honor 
to  report — 

1.  A  committee  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  appoint- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  the  removal  of  the  remains  of 
the  late  President  to  their  State,  has  furnished  us  with  the  follow- 
ing route  for  the  remains  and  escort,  being,  with  the  exception  of 


122  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

two  points,  the  route  traversed  by  Mr.  Lincoln  from  Springfield 
to  Washington  : 

Washington  to  Baltimore,  thence  to  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia, 
New  York,  Albany,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Indianapolis, 
Chicago  to  Springfield. 

2.  Over  this  route,  under  the  counsels  of  the  committee,  we 
have  prepared  the  following  time  card,  in  all  cases  for  special 
trains : 

TIME      CARD. 

Leave  Washington  Friday  morning,  April  21,  at  8  o'clock,  and 
arrive  at  Baltimore  at  10  o'clock  a.  m. 

Leave  Baltimore  at  3  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  reach  Harrisburg  at  8 :20 
p.  m.,  same  day. 

Leave  Harrisburg  at  12  o'clock  noon,  Saturday,  22,  and  arrive 
in  Philadelphia  at  5 :30  p.  m. 

Leave  Philadelphia  at  4  a.  m.  Monday,  24,  and  arrive  in  New 
York  at  10  a.  m.,  the  same  day. 

Leave  New  York  at  4  p.  m.  Tuesday,  25,  and  arrive  in  Albany 
at  11  p.  m.,  same  day. 

Leave  Albany  at  4  p.  m,  Wednesday,  26,  and  arrive  at  Buffalo 
at  7  a.  m.  Thursday,  27. 

Leave  Buffalo  at  10 :10  p.  m.,  the  same  day,  and  arrive  in  Cleve- 
land at  7  a.  m.  on  Friday,  28. 

Leave  Cleveland  at  midnight,  same  day,  and  arrive  in  Columbus 
at  7 :30  a.  m.  Saturday,  29. 

Leave  Columbus  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.  Saturday,  29,  and  arrive  in 
Indianapolis  at  7  a.  m.  Sunday,  30. 

Leave  Indianapolis  at  12  midnight,  Sunday,  and  arrive  in  Chi- 
cago at  11  a.  m.  Monday,  May  1. 

Leave  Chicago  at  9 :30  p.  m.  Tuesday,  May  2,  and  arrive  in 
Springfield  at  8  o'clock  a.  m.  Wednesday,  May  3. 

The  route  from  Columbus  to  Indianapolis  is  via  the  Columbus 
&  Indianapolis  Central  railway,  and  from  Indianapolis  to  Chicago 
via  Lafayette  &  Michigan  City. 

3.  As  to  the  running  of  these  special  trains,  which,  in  order  to 
guard,  as  far  as  practicable,  against  accidents  and  detentions,  we 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       123 

have  reduced  to  about  twenty  miles  per  hour,  we  suggest  the  fol- 
lowing regulations : 

1.  That  the  time  of  the  departure  and  arrival  be  observed  as 
closely  as  possible. 

2.  That  material  detentions  at  way  points  be  guarded  against 
as  much  as  practicable,  so  as  not  to  increase  the  speed  of  trains. 

8.  That  a  pilot  engine  be  kept  ten  minutes  in  advance  of  the 
train. 

4.  That  the  special  train,  in  all  cases,  have  the  right  of  road, 
and  that  all  other  trains  be  kept  out  of  its  way. 

5.  That  the  several  railroad  companies  provide  a  sufficient 
number  of  coaches  for  the  comfortable  accommodation  of  the 
escort,  and  a  special  car  for  the  remains ;  and  that  all  these,  to- 
gether with  the  engines,  be  appropriately  draped  in  mourning. 

6.  That  where  the  running  time  of  any  train  extends  beyond 
or  commences  at  midnight,  not  less  than  two  sleeping-cars  be  add- 
ed, and  a  greater  number  if  the  road  can  command  them,  sufficient 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  escort. 

7.  That  two  officers  of  the  United  States  Military  Railway  Ser- 
vice be  detailed  by  you,  and  despatched  at  once  over  the  route  to 
confer  with  the  several  railway  officers,  and  make  all  necessary 
preparations  for  carrying  out  these  arrangements  promptly  and 
satisfactorily. 

8.  That  this  programme  and  these  regulations,  if  approved,  be 
confirmed  by  an  order  of  the  War  Department. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

JOHN  BROUGH,          )  /*»»«.•«-. 
JOHN  W.  GARRETT,  \  Gommvttee- 

The  following  with  reference  to  the 
GUARD  OP  HONOR, 
Was  next  issued : 

1WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 
WASHINGTON,  April  20, 1865. 

The  following  general  officers  and  Guard  of  Honor  will  accom- 
pany the  remains  of  the  President  from  the  city  of  Washington 
to  the  city  of  Springfield,  the  Capital  of  Illinois,  and  continue 
with  them  until  they  arc  consigned  to  their  final  resting  place : 


124  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Brevet  Brigadier  General  E.  D.  Townsend,  Assistant  Adjutant 
General,  to  represent  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Brevet  Brigadier  General  James  A.  Ekin,  Deputy  Quarter- 
master General. 

Brigadier  General  A.  B.  Eaton,  Commissary  General  of  Sub- 
sistence. 

Brevet  Major  General  J.  G.  Barnard,  Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
Engineers. 

Brigadier  General  G.  D.  Ramsey,  Ordnance  Department. 

Brigadier  General  A.  P.  Howe,  Chief  of  Artillery. 

Brevet  Brigadier  General  D.  C.  McCallum,  Superintendent  of 
Military  Roads. 

Major  General  D.  Hunter,  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

Brigadier  General  J.  C.  Caldwell,  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

Twenty-five  picked  men,  under  a  Captain. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War : 

Official.  E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 

Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

The  following  officers  acted  with  the  Guard  of 
Honor,  although  I  have  been  unable  to  find  the  order 
assigning  them  to  that  duty : 

Rear  Admiral  C.  H.  Davis,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Captain  W.  R.  Taylor,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Major  T.  H.  Field,  U.  S.  Marine  Corps. 

Including  them,  the  Guard  of  Honor  consisted  of 
twelve  general  officers. 

The  picked  men  were  all  members  of  the  Veteran 
Reserve  corps,  and  were  selected  from  the  following 
regiments : 

Ninth — Captain  J.  M.  McCamley,  J.  R.  Edwards,  J. 
F.  Nelson,  L.  E.  Bulock,  P.  Callaghan,  A.  K.  Mar- 
shall. 

Seventh — First  Lieutenant  J.  R.  Durkee,  First  Ser- 
geant C.  Swinehart,  S.  Carpenter,  A.  C.  Cromwell. 

Tenth — Second  Lieutenant  E.  Murphy,  W.  T.  Daly, 
J.  Collins,  W.  H.  Durgin,  Frank  Smith. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       125 

Twelfth — Second  Lieutenant  E.  Hoppy,  G.  E.  Good- 
rich, A.  E.  Carr,  F.  Carley,  W.  H.  Noble. 

Fourteenth — J.  Karr,  J.  P.  Smith,  J.  Hanna, 

Eighteenth— F.  D.  Forehard,  J.  M.  Sedgwick,  R.  W. 
Lewis. 

Twenty-fourth — J.  P.  Berry,  W.  H.  Wiseman  and 
J.  M.  Pardun. 

The  three  gentlemen  whose  names  are  annexed 
accompanied  the  escort,  each  acting  in  the  capacity  des- 
ignated below. 

Captain  Charles  Penrose,  Quartermaster  and  Com- 
missary of  Subsistence  to  the  entire  party. 

Dr.  Charles  R.  Brown,  Embalmer. 

Frank  T.  Sands,  Undertaker. 

Congress  was  not  in  session  at  the  time  of  the  assas- 
sination, but  a  public  meeting  was  called  of  all  who 
were  members  of  either  house,  or  who  were  delegates 
in  Congress  from  any  of  the  territories,  and  happened 
then  to  be  in  Washington.  This  explains  why  some 
of  the  States  were  not  represented  on  this  committee. 
The  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  from  those 
who  were  present,  and  the  body  thus  chosen  was  desig- 
nated the  Congressional  Committee : 

States. — Maine,  Mr.  Pike,  New  Hampshire,  Mr  Rol- 
lins ;  Vermont,  Mr.  Foot  and  Mr.  Baxter ;  Connecti- 
cut, Mr.  Dixon ;  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Sumner  and  Mr. 
Hooper ;  Rhode  Island,  Mr.  Anthony ;  New  York, 
Mr.  Harris;  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Cowan;  Ohio,  Mr. 
Schenck ;  Kentucky,  Mr.  Smith  ;  Indiana,  Mr.  Julian  ; 
Minnesota,  Mr.  Ramsey ;  Michigan,  Mr.  Chandler  and 
Mr.  Ferry ;  Iowa,  Mr.  Harlan  ;  Illinois,  Messrs.  Yates, 
Washburn,  Farnsworth  and  Arnold,  unless  they  pre- 
ferred being  considered  part  of  the  Illinois  delegation  ; 
California,  Mr.  Shannon ;  Oregon,  Mr.  Williams ; 
Kansas,  Mr.  Clarke ;  West  Virginia,  Mr.  Whaley ; 
Maryland,  Mr.  Phelps ;  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Newell ; 
Nevada,  Mr.  Nye;  Nebraska,  Mr.  Hitchcock. 


126  THE  GBEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Territories. — Colorado,  Mr.  Bradford;  Idaho,  Mr. 
Wallace;  Dacotah,  Mr.  Weed. 

George  N.  Brown,  Sergeant-at-Arms  of  the  United 
States  Senate. 

N.  G.  Ordway,  Sergeant-at-Arms  of  the  United 
States  House  of  Representatives.  Some  of  the  above 
named  gentlemen  accompanied  the  remains,  but  many 
of  them  did  not. 

NAMES  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  DELEGATION. 

Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby;  Gen.  Isham  N.  Haynie,  Adju- 
tant General  of  Illinois .  Col.  J.  H.  Bowen,  Col.  W. 
H.  Hanna,  Col.  D.  B.  James,  Major  S.  Waite,  Col.  D. 
L.  Phillips,  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the  Southern  District  of 
Illinois ;  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Col.  John  Williams, 
Dr.  S.  H.  Melvin,  E.  F.  Leonard,  Hon.  S.  M.  Cul- 
lom,  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch. 

GOVERNERS  OF  STATES  ACCOMPANYING  THE 
ESCORT : 

Governor  Stone,  of  Iowa,  and  the  Hon.  Mr.  Lough- 
ridge,  of  that  State,  accompanied  the  escort  the  entire 
journey,  and  rode  in  the  car  occupied  by  the  Illinois 
Delegation. 

REPORTERS  FOR  THE  PRESS : 

L.  A.  Gobright,  of  Washington  City,  and  C.  R. 
Morgan,  for  the  Associated  Press ;  U.  H.  Painter,  for 
the  Philadelphia  Inquirer;  E.  L.  Crounse,  for  the  New 
York  Times;  G.  B.  Woods,  of  the  Boston  Daily  Adver- 
tiser; Dr.  Adonis,  of  the  Chicago  Tribune;  C.  A.  Page, 
New  York  Tribune. 

The  hearse  car  was  one  that  had  been  built  in  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  for  the  United  States  military  railroads, 
and  was  intended  for  the  use  of  President  Lincoln  and 
other  officers  of  the  Government  when  traveling  over 
those  roads.  It  contained  a  parlor,  sitting  room  and 
sleeping  apartment,  all  of  which  was  fitted  up  in  the 
most  approved  modern  style.  The  car  intended  for  the 
family  of  the  President  and  the  Congressional  Commit- 
tee, belonged  to  the  Philadelphia,  Wilmington  &  Bal- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      127 

timore  railroad  company,  ordinarily  used  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  Directors  of  the  company.  It  was  divided 
into  four  compartments,  thus :  parlor,  chamber,  dining 
room  and  kitchen ;  with  water  tanks  and  gasometer. 
The  whole  car  was  fitted  up  in  the  most  elegant  and 
costly  manner.  Both  of  these  cars  were  richly  draped 
in  mourning. 

The  remains  of  President  Lincoln  having  been  placed 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  on  the  nineteenth  of  April, 
continued  to  lie  there  until  the  time  appointed  to  start 
on  the  western  journey.  A  continuous  throng  of  visit- 
ors filed  past  the  coffin  the  entire  day  of  the  twentieth. 
During  that  day  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  persons 
looked  upon  the  face  of  the  illustrious  deceased,  many 
of  them  soldiers  who  left  their  beds,  in  the  hospitals, 
to  take  one  last  look  at  their  departed  chieftain. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  21,  the 
members  of  the  Cabinet,  Lieutenant  General  Grant 
and  his  staff,  several  United  States  Senators,  the  Illinois 
delegation,  and  a  considerable  number  of  army  officers, 
arrived  at  the  Capitol  and  took  their  farewell  view  of 
the  face  of  the  departed  statesman.  After  an  impres- 
sive prayer  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley,  the  coffin  was  borne, 
without  music,  to  the  hearse  car,  to  which  the  body  of 
his  son  Willie  had  previously  been  removed.  Another 
prayer  and  the  benediction  followed. 

At  eight  o'clock,  the  Funeral  Cortege  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  moved  slowly  from  the  depot,  for  its  long  and 
circuitous  journey  to  the  western  prairies.  Several 
thousand  soldiers  were  in  line  by  the  side  of  the  rail- 
road, and  presented  arms  as  the  train  departed  amid 
the  tolling  of  bells  and  the  uncovered  heads  of  the 
immense  assemblage.  A  scene  connected  with  the  de- 
parture was  so  impressive  that  it  will  never  be  forgot- 
ten while  life  endures,  by  those  who  witnessed  it.  A 
portion  of  the  soldiers  in  line  near  the  depot  were  two 
regiments  of  U.  S.  Colored  Troops.  They  stood  with 
arms  reversed,  heads  bowed,  all  weeping  like  children 
at  the  loss  of  a  father.  Their  grief  was  of  such  un- 
doubted sincerity  as  to  affect  the  whole  vast  multitude. 
Dignified  Governors  of  States,  grave  Senators,  and  scar- 
worn  army  officers,  who  had  passed  through  scenes  of 
blood  and  carnage  unmoved,  lost  their  self  control  and 
were  melted  to  tears  in  the  presence  of  such  unaffected 
sorrow. 


THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      129 

After  leaving  Washington  there  was  no  stoppage  for 
public  demonstrations  until  the  train  reached  Balti- 
more, at  ten  o'clock  the  same  morning.  The  city, 
through  which  Abraham  Lincoln,  four  years  before, 
had  hurried  in  the  night,  to  escape  assassination, 
now  received  his  remains  with  every  possible  demon- 
stration of  respect.  The  body  was  escorted  by  an 
immense  procession  to  the  rotunda  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange,  where  it  was  placed  upon  a  gorgeous  cata- 
falque and  surrounded  with  flowers.  Here  it  rested 
for  several  hours,  receiving  the  silent  homage  of  thou- 
sands who  thronged  the  portals  of  the  edifice  to  take 
a  last  look  at  the  features  of  the  illustrious  patriot. 

Baltimore  was  then  under  the  control  of  loyal  men, 
who  felt  deeply  grieved  that  a  plot  had  been  laid  there 
for  his  destruction  when  on  his  way  to  assume  the  duties 
of  his  office ;  and  they  suffered  still  greater  mortification 
that  it  was  a  native  of  their  own  city  who  had  plunged 
the  nation  into  mourning  by  the  horrid  crime  of  assas- 
sinating the  President.  The  city  added  ten  thousand 
dollars  to  the  reward  offered  for  the  arrest  of  the  assas- 
sin. Those  who  accompanied  the  escort  the  entire 
journey  say  that  there  was  no  other  place  where  the 
manifestations  of  grief  were  apparently  so  sincere  and 
unaffected  as  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  although  they 
admit  it  was  hard  to  make  a  distinction  when  all  were 
intent  on  using  every  exertion  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  the  illustrious  statesman. 

At  three  o'clock  p.  m.  the  train  left  the  depot,  and 
making  a  brief  stoppage  at  York,  Penn.,  a  beautiful 
wreath  of  flowers  was  placed  upon  the  coffin  by  the 
ladies  of  that  city,  while  a  dirge  was  performed  by  the 
band,  amid  the  tolling  of  bells  and  the  uncovered 
heads  of  the  multitude.  The  cortege  arrived  at  Har- 
risburg  at  twenty  minutes  past  eight  o'clock  p.  m.  By 
a  proclamation  of  Mayor  Roumfort,  all  business  houses 
and  drinking  saloons  were  closed  during  the  stay  of  the 
funeral  cortege  in  Harrisburg.  Preparations  had  been 
9 


130  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

made  for  a  grand  military  and  civic  demonstration,  but 
a  heavy  shower  of  rain  was  pouring  down  when  they 
reached  the  latter  city.  Col.  Thomas  S.  Mather,  of 
Springfield,  Illinois,  was  on  duty  at  Philadelphia,  at 
the  time  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated.  He  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  Harrisburg  and  take  command 
of  the  United  States  troops  at  that  place,  and  make  ar- 
rangements for  giving  the  remains  of  the  President  a 
suitable  reception. 

Col.  Mather  had  fifteen  hundred  soldiers  in  line,  who 
stood  for  more  than  an  hour  in  the  rain  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  the  cortege.  The  body  was  conveyed  to  the 
State  Capitol  and  placed  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  amid  emblems  of  sorrow,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  circle  of  white  flowering  almonds.  Du- 
ring a  part  of  that  night,  and  until  ten  o'clock  next 
day,  the  people  in  vast  numbers  passed  through  the  Hall 
to  look  at  the  silent  features  of  the  martyred  President. 
Under  orders  from  Col.  Mather,  a  military  and  civic 
procession  commenced  forming  at  eight  o'clock  Satur- 
day morning.  Col.  Henry  McCormic  was  chief  mar- 
shal of  the  civic  department.  The  remains  were  es- 
corted through  the  principal  streets  to  the  depot.  In 
order  to  have  as  much  daylight  as  possible  for  the  pro- 
cession at  Philadelphia,  the  train  moved  away  from  the 
Harrisburg  depot  at  eleven  o'clock — one  hour  before 
schedule  time.  Crowds  of  people  were  at  the  depots 
of  Middletown,  Elizabethtown,  Mount  Joy,  Landisville 
and  Dillerville.  In  many  places  insignia  of  sorrow 
were  displayed,  and  all  seemed  anxious  to  obtain  a 
passing  view  of  the  mournful  cortege. 

At  Lancaster  twenty  thousand  people  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  train,  to  make  their  silent  demonstrations 
of  mourning.  The  depot  was  artistically  decorated 
with  flags  and  crape.  The  only  words  expressive  of 
the  feelings  of  the  people  were  displayed  at  the  side  of 
the  depot  as  a  motto  : 

"Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Illustrious  Martyr  of  Liberty;  the  nation 
mourns  his  loss ;  though  dead,  he  still  lives." 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      131 

Every  place  of  business  was  closed,  and  insignia  of 
mourning  were  upon  every  house.  At  the  outskirts 
of  the  town  the  large  force  of  the  Lancaster  Iron  Works 
lined  the  road,  their  buildings  all  draped  in  mourning. 
It  was  affecting  to  see  old  men  who  had  been  carried 
in  their  chairs  and  seated  beside  the  track,  and  women 
with  infants  in  their  arms,  assembled  to  look  at  the 
passing  cortege. 

This  city  was  the  home  of  ex-President  Buchanan 
and  of  the  Hon.  Thaddeus  Stevens.  Mr.  Buchanan 
was  in  his  carriage  on  the  outskirts  of  the  multitude. 
In  approaching  the  town  there  is  a  bridge  or  tunnel 
through  which  the  train  passed.  Under  this  bridge, 
standing  upon  a  rock,  entirely  alone,  Mr.  Stevens  was 
recognized  by  personal  friends  on  the  train.  An  eye 
witness,  who  related  the  circumstance  to  me,  says  that 
he  seemed  absorbed  in  silent  meditation,  unconscious 
that  he  was  observed.  When  the  hearse  car  approached 
he  reverently  uncovered  his  head,  and  replaced  his  hat 
as  the  train  moved  away. 

Crowds  of  people  were  assembled  at  Penningtonville, 
Parkesburg,  Coatesville,  Gallaghervillc,  Downington 
and  Oakland.  At  each  place  flags  draped  in  mourning 
and  uncovered  heads  were  the  sole  expressions  of  feel- 
ing. At  West  Chester  intersection,  about  a  thousand 
persons  were  assembled  at  the  stations.  As  the  train 
approached  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  unbroken  columns 
of  people  lined  the  railroad  on  each  side  for  miles. 
Minute  guns  heralded  the  news  as  the  train  passed  on 
to  the  depot  of  the  Philadelphia,  Wilmington  &  Balti- 
more railroad,  on  Broad  street.  Here  the  people  were 
not  counted  by  thousands,  but  by  acres.  The  train 
reached  the  depot  at  half  past  four  p.  m.,  being  one 
hour  in  advance  of  schedule  time. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


It  was  estimated  that  half  a  million  people  were  on 
the  streets.  A  procession,  for  which  preparation  had 
been  making  for  several  days,  was  already  formed ;  men 
standing  in  marching  order,  from  four  to  twelve  abreast. 
A  magnificent  funeral  car  was  in  readiness,  which  had' 
been  specially  constructed  for  the  occasion.  The  corpse 
was  transferred  to  this  car,  the  coffin  enveloped  in 
the  American  flag,  and  surrounded  with  flowers. 
The  grand  procession,  composed  of  eleven  divisions, 
and  including  every  organization  in  the  city,  both 
military  and  civic,  was  seven  miles  in  length.  It 
moved  through  the  wide  and  beautiful  streets  of  the 
city  to  the  sound  of  solemn  music,  by  a  great  number 
of  bands.  The  insignia  of  sorrow  seemed  to  be  on 
every  house.  The  poor  testified  their  grief  by  dis- 
playing such  emblems  as  their  limited  means  could 
command,  and  the  rich,  more  profuse,  not  because 
their  sorrow  was  greater,  but  because  their  wealth 
enabled  them  to  manifest  it  on  a  larger  scale.  It  was 
eight  o'clock  when  the  funeral  car  arrived  at  the 
southern  entrance  to  Independence  Square,  on  "Wal- 
nut street.  The  Union  League  Association  was  sta- 
tioned in  the  square,  and  when  the  procession  arrived 
at  the  entrance,  the  Association  took  charge  of  the 
sacred  dust,  and  conveyed  it  into  Independence  Hall, 
marching  with  uncovered  heads  to  the  sound  of  a 
dirge  performed  by  a  band — stationed  in  the  observa- 
tory over  the  Hall — the  booming  of  cannon  in  the 
distance,  and  the  tolling  of  bells  throughout  the  city. 
The  body  was  laid  on  a  platform  in  the  centre  of  the 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      133 

Hall,  with  feet  to  the  north,  bringing  the  head  very 
close  to  the  pedestal  on  which  the  old  Independence 
bell  stands. 

That  old  bell,  with  its  famous  inscription,  rang  out 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  "Proclaim  liberty 
throughout  all  the  land,  to  all  the  inhabitants  there- 
of." Leviticus,  xxv,  10.  As  if  in  sorrow  and  shame 
for  the  degeneracy  of  mankind,  when  the  curse  of  sla- 
very crept  into  and  controlled  every  department  of  our 
government,  the  old  bell  became  paralyzed  and  bro- 
ken. The  descendants  of  its  early  friends  gave  it 
sepulture  in  this  Hall,  where  the  mighty  deeds  were 
enacted  which  it  proclaimed  to  the  world  with  such 
grand  peals.  These  early  notes,  wafted  on  the  free 
air  of  heaven,  were  heard  by  one  of  lowly  birth,  in 
his  western  home.  As  he  pondered  over  them,  they 
sank  deep  in  his  heart,  and  his  whole  soul  answered 
to  their  vibrating  touch,  as  he  perused  the  historic 
pages  of  the  war  for  American  Independence.  The 
years  rolled  on,  and  in  his  obscurity  and  poverty, 
he  struggled  for  light  and  knowledge,  with  the  love 
of  human  freedom  for  his  guiding  star.  He  then 
learned  that  our  fathers  indeed  won  their  independ- 
ence of  a  foreign  foe,  but  left  a  fetter  in  the  land 
for  their  children  to  break.  At  length  he  began  to 
dispense  light  to  his  fellow  men.  At  first,  it  was 
done  with  such  modesty  and  gentleness  that  it  could 
be  appropriately  likened  to  the  moon ;  but  as  national 
events  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession,  the 
wisdom  of  his  words  and  the  fervor  of  his  patriot- 
ism were  more  like  the  shining  of  the  noon-day  sun, 
and  were  so  apparent  as  to  be  known  and  read  of 
all  men.  He  was  called  to  become  the  head  of  the 
nation,  when  the  spirit  fostered  by  slavery  was  threat- 
ening its  destruction.  He  takes  what  proved  to  be  a 
last  look  at  the  familiar  scenes  of  his  manhood ;  in 
feeling  language  he  asks  his  old  friends  and  neighbors 
to  pray  for  him,  and  then  sadly  bids  them  an  aifection- 


134  THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

ate  farewell.  In  the  course  of  his  journey,  he  stood 
in  this  very  Hall.  While  here,  in  a  brief  address,  he 
said: 

"It  was  something  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
giving  liberty,  not  only  to  the  people  of  this  country,  but  hope 
to  the  world  for  all  future  time.  It  was  that  which  gave  prpmise 
that,  in  due  time,  the  weights  should  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders 
of  all  men,  and  that  all  should  have  an  equal  chance.  *  *  * 
Now,  my  friends,  can  the  country  be  saved  upon  that  basis  ?  It 
it  can,  I  will  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest  men  in  the 
world,  if  I  can  help  to  save  it.  But,  if  this  country  can  not  be 
saved  without  giiKng  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say,  I  would 
rather  be  assassinated  upon  this  spot  than  to  surrender  it." 

He  passes  on,  assumes  the  reins  of  government  as 
the  constitutionally  elected  president  of  the  United 
States.  A  long  and  bloody  war  ensues.  On  the  one 
side,  the  object  was  to  destroy  the  government,  because 
slavery  could  no  longer  rule  it ;  on  the  other,  it  was  to 
save  the  government.  In  the  course  of  the  war,  he 
proclaimed  freedom  to  the  slave,  and  otherwise  admin- 
istered the  government  so  wisely,  that  when  the  time 
arrived  for  choosing  a  man  to  fill  his  place,  he  was 
almost  unanimously  elected  as  his  own  successor.  As 
soon  as  he  entered  upon  the'  second  term,  the  rebellion 
was  so  nearly  crushed  that  he  commenced  the  work  of 
restoration  where  that  of  destruction  began ;  by  order- 
ing the  national  colors  to  be  replaced  at  the  identical 
spot  where  they  floated  when  first  assailed  by  parricidal 
hands.  His  happiness  seemed  almost  complete.  The 
authority  of  government  was  restored  and  all  men  free. 
But  the  slave  power,  in  its  death  throes,  slew  him  by 
the  hand  of  an  assassin,  and  his  body  is  now  again  in 
this  Hall,  to  make  its  report. 

Let  us  imagine  the  inanimate  clay,  and  the  old  bell 
both  endowed  with  life.  We  hear  the  dead  President  say: 
"  It  was  from  you,  Old  Bell,  as  from  the  tongue  of  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        135 

Almighty,  that  I  received  the  command  to  (  Proclaim 
liberty  throughout  all  the  land,  to  all  the  inhabitants 
thereof.'  I  have  obeyed  your  orders,  but  see,  I  too 
am  broken,  like  thyself;  these  acts  have  cost  me  my 
life's  blood,  but  what  need  we  care,  our  race  is  run. 
Is  it  not  enough  that  four  millions  of  bondmen  are 
free,  and  the  only  free  government  on  earth  saved,  to 
be  an  asylum  for  the  down-trodden  of  all  lands?  I 
am  content." 

Then  we  hear  the  old  bell  say  :  "  Well  done,  thou 
good  and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  unto 
the  end.  Henceforth  thou  shalt  wear  a  crown,  even 
the  martyr's  crown." 

It  was  eminently  proper  that  the  remains  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  should  rest  over  the  holy  Sabbath  in  what 
may,  without  irreverence,  be  termed  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Republic.  The  interior  of  Independence  Hall  has 
been  decorated  on  many  occasions,  but  never  before 
had  such  skill  and  taste  been  displayed  as  on  this  occa- 
sion. The  scene  was  a  combination  of  enchantment 
and  gloom  of  unexampled  brilliancy  and  splendor. 
Evergreens  and  flowers  of  rare  fragrance  and  beauty 
were  placed  around  the  coffin.  At  the  head  were  bo- 
quets,  and  at  the  feet  burning  tapers.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  the  portraits  of  many  great  and  good  patri- 
ots, soldiers  and  civilians,  who  have  long  since  passed 
away.  Among  these,  in  a  conspicuous  place,  was  seen 
the  benignant  countenance  of  William  Penn,  who  was 
the  embodiment  of  peace,  and  yet  he  was  not  a  more 
ardent  lover  of  peace  than  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  died 
the  commander-in-chief  of  more  than  a  million  of  sol- 
diers. 

In  the  procession  and  on  the  houses  along  the  line  of 
march,  there  were  many  mottoes  displayed,  some  of  them 
touchingly  beautiful  in  their  expressions  of  love  and 
sorrow  for  the  departed  statesman.  The  walls  of  Inde- 
pendence Hall  were  adorned  with  them  also.  I  can  only 


136  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

give  space  for  some  that  were  on  wreaths  of  flowers 
about  the  coffin.  A  cross  near  its  head,  composed  en- 
tirely of  flowers  artistically  intertwined,  bore  the  in- 
scription : 

"  To  the  memory  of  our  beloved  President,  from  a 
few  ladies  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission." 

A  beautiful  wreath,  presented  on  Saturday  evening, 
bore  the  modest  words  : 

"  A  lady's  gift.     Can  you  find  a  place  ?" 

An  old  colored  woman  managed  to  find  her  way  into 
the  Hall,  and  approached  'the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments with  a  rudely  constructed  wreath  in  her  hand, 
and  with  tears  in  her  eyes  requested  that  it  might  be 
placed  on  the  coffin.  When  her  request  was  granted, 
her  countenance  beamed  with  an  expression  of  satis- 
faction. The  wreath  bore  the  inscription : 

"  The  nation  mourns  his  loss.  He  still  lives  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people." 

One  of  the  wreaths  that  lay  near  the  head  of  the  cof- 
fin contained  a  card  with  a  quotation  from  one  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  conversations  with  his  cabinet  officers,  the 
day  before  his  death.  It  was  in  these  words: 

"  Before  any  great  national  event,  I  have  always  had 
the  same  dream.  I  had  it  the  other  night.  It  is  of 
a  ship  sailing  rapidly" 

Arrangements  were  first  made  to  admit  those  who 
desired  to  view  the  remains,  by  means  of  printed  cards, 
which  read : 

OBSEQUIES    OF   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN, 

LATE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

PHILADELPHIA,  APRIL  22, 1865, 

AT   THE 
HALL   OP  INDEPENDENCE, 

FROM  10  TO  12  O'CLOCK,  p.  M. 
Entrance  at  the  Court  House,  on  Sixth  street,  below  Chesnut. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      137 

"Within  the  hours  designated,  a  constant  stream  of 
men  and  women  poured  through  the  Hall,  which  was 
closed  at  midnight.  By  three  o'clock  Sunday  morning, 
a  large  crowd  of  persons,  of  both  sexes,  were  congre- 
gated on  Chesnut  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth, 
who  patiently  waited  until  six  o'clock — the  time  for 
again  opening  the  Hall  to  visitors.  When  it  was  opened, 
the  people  were  formed  in  lines  extending  from  Inde- 
pendence Hall  to  the  Delaware  river,  on  the  east,  and 
to  the  Schuylkill  on  the  west.  Thousands  spent  from 
three  to  four  hours  in  the  lines  before  reaching  the 
Hall.  Throughout  the  entire  day  and  night,  men 
and  women,  of  all  classes,  continued  to  move  in  solid 
phalanx  past  the  remains  of  the  fallen  chieftain. 
The  crowd  was  so  great  at  times  that  the  people  were 
almost  suffocated.  On  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  many 
women  fainted  in  the  crowd.  During  the  day,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  were  taken  in  ambu- 
lances from  the  different  hospitals  in  and  around  the 
city ;  and  at  a  late  hour,  seventy-five  veterans,  who  had 
each  lost  a  leg  in  their  country's  service,  hobbled  into 
the  Hall,  there,  amid  the  sacred  surroundings,  to  take 
a  last  look  at  the  face  of  him  whose  heart  had  always 
beaten  in  unison  with  their  own. 

Appropriate  funeral  sermons  and  orations  were  de- 
livered in  many  of  the  churches  of  j;he  city  during  the 
day.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  Rev.  Dr. 
March,  of  the  Clinton  Street  Presbyterian  Church ; 
Rev.  Dr.  Jeffrey,  in  the  Fourth  Baptist  Church ;  Rev. 
H.  A.  Smith,  in  the  Mantua  Presbyterian  Church ; 
Rev.  F.  L.  Robbins,  of  the  Green  Hill  Church ;  Rev. 
N.  Cyr,  at  the  French  Protestant  Chapel,  and  Rev.  J. 
Hyatt  Smith,  at  Mechanics'  Hall. 

Both  nights  in  Philadelphia,  Independence  Hall  was 
brilliantly  illuminated,  as  also  the  Ledger,  Transcript 
and  other  newspaper  offices,  and  many  other  public 
and  private  buildings.  The  funeral  escort  were  the 
guests  of  the  city,  and  were  quartered  at  the  Conti- 


138  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

nental  Hotel.  While  here,  the  hearse  car  was  addi- 
tionally decorated,  the  materials  being  furnished  and 
the  work  done  by  the  citizens,  who  regarded  it  a  privi- 
lege to  add  this  testimony  of  their  respect  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Abraham  Lincoln, 

At  two  o'clock  a.  m.,  Monday,  April  24,  the  coffin 
was  closed  and  preparations  made  for  the  departure. 
At  four  o'clock,  the  funeral  train  moved  out  of 
the  Kensington  depot.  After  'leaving  Philadelphia, 
the  track  was  lined  on  both  sides  with  a  continuous 
array  of  people.  At  Bristol  and  Morristown,  large 
crowds  stood  in  silence,  with  uncovered  heads.  From 
the  time  of  leaving  Washington,  at  many  points  where 
no  stoppage  was  expected,  entire  neighborhoods,  old 
and  young,  men  and  women,  the  latter  frequently  with 
children  in  their  arms,  turned  out  by  the  roadside  by 
night  and  by  day,  and  anxiously  watched  the  gorgeous 
funeral  train  as  it  passed.  Flags  at  half  mast,  mourn- 
ing inscriptions  and  funeral  arches,  testified  the  sorrow 
that  was  in  every  heart.  Clusters  of  people  were  col- 
lected 4at  various  points  between  stations.  The  men 
reverently  uncovered  their  heads  as  the  funeral  train 
glided  by. 

The  train  reached  Trenton  at  half  past  five  in  the 
morning,  and  was  greeted  by  the  tolling  of  bells,  firing 
of  minute  guns  anp!  strains  of  solemn  music.  Crowds 
of  people  were  assembled,  the  number  estimated  at 
twenty  thousand,  and  the  array  of  mourning  inscrip- 
tions and  other  evidences  of  sorrow  were  abundant. 
This  is  the  only  State  capital  passed  by  the  funeral 
cortege  on  the  entire  journey,  at  which  they  failed  to 
stop  for  the  people  to  engage  in  public  demonstrations 
of  respect.  Its  location  between  the  two  great  cities, 
and  so  near  them,  is,  no  doubt,  the  cause  of  its  being 
made  an  exception.  Governor  Parker  and  staff,  with 
many  citizens  were  taken  on  board  here,  and  accom- 
panied the  remains  to  New  York.  At  Princeton,  a 
large  number  of  college  students  were  standing  with 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       139 

reverent  bearing  and  in  silence.  At  New  Brunswick, 
the  train  stopped  for  a  few  moments,  to  find  an  immense 
crowd  at  the  depot.  Minute  guns  were  fired  from 
the  time  it  came  in  sight  until  it  passed  from  their 
view.  Large  numbers  were  assembled  at  Rahway  and 
Elizabeth  City,  also. 

At  Newark,  every  house  seemed  to  be  dressed  in 
mourning.  It  appeared  as  if  the  inhabitants  had 
turned  out  en  masse  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  memory 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Many  of  the  women  were 
shedding  tears,  and  the  men  stood  with  uncovered 
heads.  For  more  then  a  mile,  those  on  the  train  could 
only  perceive  one  sea  of  human  beings.  The  United 
States  Hospital  was  appropriately  decorated,  and  many 
of  the  soldiers  on  crutches  were  formed  in  line  near  it. 
Minute  guns  fired  and  bells  tolled  from  the  time  the 
cortege  arrived  until  it  passed  out  of  sight. 

At  Jersey  City  the  scene  was  still  more  impressive. 
The  depot  was  elaborately  draped  in  mourning,  bells 
tolled  and  cannon  boomed,*  bringing  back  sad  echoes 
as  the  train  moved  into  the  depot.  The  crowd  was 
not  admitted  into  the  vast  edifice.  When  those  on 
board  the  train  disembarked  and  the  coffin  was  borne 
along  the  platform,  the  funeral  party  were  startled  by 
a  vast  choir,  composed  of  German  musical  associa- 
tions, which  had  been  stationed  in  a  gallery  of  the 
building.  As  they  chanted  an  anthem  or  requiem  for 
the  dead,  many  who  were  unused  to  weeping  were 
affected  to  tears.  As  the  remains  were  conveyed  from 
the  depot  to  the  boat,  the  choir  chanted  a  solemn 
dirge  and  continued  it  until  the  ferry  boat  reached  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Hudson  river.  The  shipping  of  all 
nations  in  the  harbor  displayed  their  flags  at  half-mast. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


The  ferry  boat  landed  at  the  foot  of  Desbrosses 
street,  New  York  city,  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m.,  April  24,  and 
the  coffin  was  at  once  conveyed  to  a  magnificent  hearse. 
or  funeral  car,  prepared  especially  for  the  occasion.  The 
platform  of  this  car  was  fourteen  feet  long  and  eight 
feet  wide.  "On  the  platform,  which  was  five  feet  from 
the  ground,  there  was  a  dais,  on  which  the  coffin  rested. 
This  gave  it  sufficient  elevation  to  be  readily  seen  by 
those  at  a  distance,  over  the  heads  of  the  multitude. 
Above  the  dais  there  was  a  canopy  fifteen  feet  high, 
supported  by  columns,  and  in  part  by  a  miniature  tem- 
ple of  liberty.  The  platform  was  covered  with  black 
cloth,  which  fell  at  the  sides  nearly  to  the  ground.  It 
was  edged  with  silver  bullion  fringe,  which  hung  in 
graceful  festoons.  Black  cloth  hung  from  the  sides, 
festooned  with  silver  stars,  and  was  also  edged  with 
silver  fringe.  The  canopy  was  trimmed  in  like  man- 
ner, with  black  cloth,  festooned  and  spangled  with 
silver  bullion,  the  corners  surmounted  by  rich  plumes 
of  black  and  white  feathers.  At  the  base  of  each  col- 
umn were  three  American  flags,  slightly  inclined  out- 
ward, festooned  and  covered  with  crape. 

The  temple  of  liberty  was  represented  as  being 
deserted,  or  rather  despoiled,  having  no  emblems  of 
any  kind,  in  or  around  it,  except  a  small  flag  on  the 
top,  at  half-mast.  The  inside  of  the  car  was  lined 
with  white  satin,  fluted.  From  the  centre  of  the  can- 
opy, a  large  eagle  was  suspended,  with  outspread  wings, 
and  holding  in  its  talons  a  laurel  wreath.  The  plat- 
form around  the  coffin  was  strewn  with  flowers.  The 


THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       141 

hearse  or  funeral  car  was  drawn  by  sixteen  white  horses, 
covered  with  black  cloth  trimming,  each  led  by  a 
groom. 

From  the  foot  of  Desbrosses  street,  the  remains  were 
escorted  by  the  Seventh  regiment  New  York  National 
Guards,  to  Hudson  street,  thence  to  Canal  street,  up 
Canal  street  to  Broadway,  and  down  Broadway  to  the 
west  gate  of  the  City  Hall  Park. 

The  procession  which  followed  the  remains  was  in 
keeping  with  the  funeral  car,  the  whole  being  inde- 
scribably grand  and  imposing.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
see,  a  dense  mass  of  people,  many  of  them  wearing 
some  insignia  of  mourning,  filled  the  streets  and 
crowded  every  window.  The  fronts  of  the  houses 
were  draped  in  mourning,  and  the  national  ensign  dis- 
played at  half-mast  from  the  top  of  almost  every  build- 
ing. The  procession  was  simply  a  dense  mass  of  hu- 
man beings.  During  the  time  it  was  moving,  minute 
guns  were  fired  at  different  points,  and  bells  were  tolled 
from  nearly  all  the  church  steeples  in  the  city.  The 
chime  on  Trinity  church  wailed  forth  the  tune  of  Old 
Hundred  in  a  most  solemn  and  impressive  manner. 

On  arriving  at  the  City  Hall,  the  coffin  was  borne 
into  the  rotunda,  amid  the  solemn  chanting  of  eight 
hundred  voices,  and  was  placed  on  a  magnificent  cata- 
falque, which  had  been  prepared  for  its  reception.  The 
Hall  was  richly  and  tastefully  decorated  with  the  na- 
tional colors  and  mourning  drapery,  and  the  coffin 
almost  buried  with  rare  and  costly  floral  offerings.  A 
large  military  guard,  in  addition  to  the  Guard  of 
Honor,  kept  watch  over  the  sacred  dust.  All  day  and 
all  night  long,  the  living  tide  pressed  into  the  Hall,  to 
take  a.  last  look  at  the  martyred  remains.  At  the  sol- 
emn hour  of  midnight,  between  the  twenty-fourth  and 
the  twenty-fifth  days  of  April,  the  German  musical  so- 
cieties of  New  York,  numbering  about  one  thousand 
voices,  performed  a  requiem  in  the  rotunda  of  the  City 
Hall,  with  the  most  thrilling  effect.  About  ten  o'clock, 


142  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

on  the  morning  of  April  25,  while  a  galaxy  of  distin- 
guished officers  were  assembled  around  the  coffin,  Cap- 
tain Parker  Snow,  commander  of  the  Arctic  and  Ant- 
arctic expedition,  presented  some  very  singular  relics. 
They  consisted  of  a  leaf  from  the  book  of  Common 
Prayer  and  a  piece  of  paper,  on  which  were  glued 
some  fringes.  They  were  found  in  a  boat,  under  the 
skull  of  a  skeleton  which  had  been  identified  as  the 
remains  of  one  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  men.  The 
most  singular  thing  about  these  relics  was  the  fact  that 
the  only  words  that  were  preserved  in  a  legible  condi- 
tion were  "  THE  MARTYR,"  in  capitals.  General  Dix 
deposited  these  relics  in  the  coffin.  At  a  few  minutes 
past  eleven  o'clock,  the  coffin  was  closed,  preparatory 
to  resuming  its  westward  journey.  Notwithstanding 
such  vast  numbers  had  viewed  the  corpse,  there  were 
thousands  who  had  waited  for  hours,  in  the  long  lines, 
to  obtain  a  look  at  the  well  known  face,  who  were 
obliged  to  turn  away  sadly  disappointed.  This  disap- 
pointment was  not  confined  to  any  class  or  condition 
of  men.  The  coffin  had  just  been  closed,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Sergeants  of  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps — 
who  were  in  readiness  to  convey  it  to  the  hearse — and 
a  number  of  distinguished  army  officers,  whose  com- 
missions had  been  signed  by  the  deceased ;  when  the 
first  to  realize  the  disappointment  were  the  representa- 
tives of  Great  Britain,  Russia  and  France.  They  came 
in,  glittering  with  scarlet,  gold  and  silver  lace,  high 
coat  collars,  bearing  embroidered  cocked  hats  under 
their  arms,  with  other  costly  trappings,  and  high  birth 
and  breeding  in  every  gesture,  desirous  of  seeing  the 
corpse,  but  they  were  too  late. 

At  about  half  past  twelve  o'clock,  the  magnificent 
hearse  or  funeral  car,  drawn  by  sixteen  white  horses, 
each  led  by  a  groom,  as  on  the  day  before,  appeared 
on  Broadway,  at  the  west  gate  of  City  Hall  Park. 
The  coffin  was  next  conveyed  to  the  car.  Then  com- 
menced the  farewell  part  of  the  funeral  pageant  given 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        143 

by  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  nation  to  the 
memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  military  force  of 
more  than  fifteen  thousand  men,  with  the  staffs  of  sev- 
eral brigades  and  divisions,  with  their  batteries,  and 
the  civic  societies  of  every  conceivable  kind,  in  a  great 
city,  which  joined  in  the  demonstration,  formed  a 
double  line  about  five  miles  long — equal  to  a  single 
column  of  ten  miles.  In  many  parts  of  the  procession, 
twenty  men  walked  abreast.  It  was  composed  of  eight 
grand  divisions,  each  division  having  a  marshal,  with 
aids.  It  moved  through  the  streets  to  the  tolling  of 
bells,  the  firing  of  minute  guns  and  the  music  of  a 
large  number  of  bands.  The  animosities  and  division 
walls  of  parties,  in  politics,  and  sects  and  denomina- 
tions, in  religion,  if  not  obliterated,  were  so  far  low- 
ered, for  the  time  being,  that  all  parties  could  shake 
hands  over  them.  Archbishop  McClosky,  the  highest 
dignitary  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  in  this 
country,  walked  side  by  side,  in  the  procession,  with 
Rev.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  D.  D.,  one  of  the  most 
radical  of  the  Congregational  reformers  of  our  land. 

I  have  said  that  all  party  lines  were,  for  the  time, 
hidden  from  view,  but  it  devolves  upon  me  to  notice 
one  exception.  Notwithstanding  the  blending  of  so 
many  hearts  in  the  great  national  sorrow,  the  city 
authorities  of  New  York,  true  to  their  Tammany»in- 
stincts,  took  measures  to  prevent  the  colored  people 
from  joining  in  the  procession.  They  had  deferred  a 
procession  of  their  own,  on  the  Wednesday  before,  in 
order  that  five  thousand  of  their  number  might  be 
ready  to  show  their  love  and  respect  for  the  emanci- 
pator of  their  race,  by  joining  the  procession  to  escort 
his  remains  on  their  way  to  the  tomb.  When  it  was 
known  that  the  city  authorities  were  trying  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  procession,  Secretary  Stanton  inter- 
fered, and  the  order  was  set  aside,  but  it  was  too  late 
to  give  them  such  assurance  of  protection  as  to  bring 
out  their  full  numbers. 


1 44  THE  QEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

It  is  due  to  Thomas  C.  Acton,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Police  Commissioners,  that  the  colored  people  were 
not  entirely  excluded.  It  was  he,  who,  -but  a  few 
months,  before,  enforced  the  right  of  the  colored 
people  to  ride  in  the  street  cars.  Of  the  five  thou- 
sand who  intended  to  turn  out,  only  between  two  and 
three  hundred  could  be  induced  to  risk  the  doubt 
and  uncertainty  occasioned  by  the  action  of  the  city 
authorities.  These  colored  people  were  placed  as 
an  appendage  to  the  eighth  division,  and  to  be  sure 
that  their  rights  were  respected,  Commissioner  Acton 
sent  a  body  of  fifty-six  policemen,  under  Sergeant 
Gay,  who  marched  before  and  behind  them  in  such 
a  way  as  to  be  ready  in  a  moment  to  quell  any  at- 
tempt at  violence.  A  banner,  prepared  by  the  ladies 
of  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  Church,  was  inscribed  on 
one  side, 

"  Abraham  Lincoln,  our  Emancipator," 
and  on  the  other, 

"  To  Millions  of  Bondmen,  he  Liberty  Gave." 

The  banner  was  carried  by  four  freedmen,  just  from 
the  south,  who  were  astonished  to  learn  that  there 
were  so  many  more  Yankees  than  colored  people. 
Mourning  emblems  were  displayed  in  such  profusion 
as  to  be  almost  a  wilderness  of  sable  drapery,  and  the 
mottoes  and  inscriptions  on  the  houses  along  the  line 
of  march,  and  those  carried  in  the  procession,  would, 
if  collected,  make  a  volume  of  themselves.  Space  can 
be  given  for  only  a  small  number  of  them  here. 

"  The  workman  dies,  but  the  work  goes  on." 


"Your  cause  of  sorrow  must  not  be  measured  by  his  worth ;  for 
then  there  would  be  no  end." 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        145 
"  His  deeds  have  made  his  name  immortal." 


"  Let  others  hail  the  rising  sun, 
We  bow  to  him  whose  race  is  run." 


"  A  glorious  career  of  service  and  devotion,  is  crowned  with  a 
martyr's  death." 


"  Well  done  thou  good  and  faithful  servant." 


"  Can  barbarism  further  go  ?" 

The  New  York  Caledonian  Club,  composed  of  na- 
tive Scotchmen,  carried  a  banner  inscribed : 

"Caledonia  mourns  Columbia's  martyred  chief." 

A  miniature  monument,  near  University  Place,  bore 
the  name, 

LINCOLN. 

The  panels  on  the  sides  of  the  pedestals  had  the  fol- 
lowing inscriptions : 

FIRST. 

"  Good  night,  sweet  prince, 
And  flights  of  angels  sing  thee  to  thy  rest." 

SECOND. 
"  With  malice  towards  none ;  with  charity  for  all." 

THIRD. 

"  There's  a  great  spirit  gone." 

FOURTH. 

"  His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  him,  that  nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world — 

This  was  a  man." 
10 


146  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

"  The  heart  of  the  nation  throbs  heavily  at  the  portals  of  the 
tomb." 


"  Our  country  weeps." — "  In  God  we  trust." 


"  Behold  how  they  loved  him." 


"  The  Almighty  has  His  own  purposes." 


1  To  heaven  thou  art  fled,  and  left  the  nation  in  tears." 


"  His  death  has  made  him  immortal." 


"  Oh  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ? 
Like  a  swift  fleeting  meteor,  a  fast-flying  cloud, 
A  flash  of  the  lightning,  a  break  of  the  wave, 
He  passeth  from  life  to  his  rest  in  the  grave." 

The  above  is  the  first  verse  of  a  hymn  which  was  a 
great  favorite  with  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  committed  it  to 
memory  in  his  younger  days,  and  to  repeat  its  verses 
was  ever  after  a  source  of  mournful  pleasure  to  him. 
He  never  knew  the  authorship  of  it,  but  it  was  written 
by  Alexander  Knox,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  the 
year  1778.  The  following  are  the  third,  fifth,  eleventh 
and  twelfth  verses : 

"  The  infant,  a  mother  attended  and  loved ; 
The  mother,  that  infant's  affection  who  proved ; 
The  husband,  that  mother  and  infant  who  blessed, 
Each,  all,  are  away  to  their  dwelling  of  rest. 

"The  peasant,  whose  lot  was  to  sow  and  to  reap ; 
The  herdsman,  who  climbed  with  his  goats  up  the  steep; 
The  beggar,  who  wandered  in  search  of  his  bread, 
Have  faded  away  like  the  grass  that  we  tread. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      147 

"Yea!  hope  and  despondency,  pleasure  and  pain, 
We  mingle  together  in  sunshine  and  rain ; 
And  the  smile  and  the  tear,  the  song  and  the  dirge, 
Still  follow  each  other,  like  surge  upon  surge. 

""Us  the  wink  of  an  eye,  'tis  the  draught  of  a  breath, 
From  the  blossom  of  health  to  the  paleness  of  death — 
From  the  gilded  saloon  to  the  bier  and  the  shroud ; 
O,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ?" 

While  the  procession  was  escorting  the  remains  to 
the  depot  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  on  Thirtieth 
street,  a  vast  concourse  of  people  assembled  in  Union 
Square.  A  meeting  was  opened,  with  Ex-Governor 
King  as  presiding  officer.  He  introduced  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Stephen  H.  Tyng,  who  repeated  the  beautiful  words  of 
the  Episcopal  burial  service,  and  then  offered  a  fervent 
prayer,  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  Hon.  George  Ban- 
croft was  next  introduced,  who  delivered  a  funeral  ora- 
tion. The  following  synopsis  will  give  a  faint  idea  of 
its  eloquence  and  power : 

"  Our  grief  at  the  crime  which  clothed  the  continent  in  mourn- 
ing, finds  no  adequate  expression  in  words,  no  relief  in  tears. 
Neither  the  office  with  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  invested  by  the 
approved  choice  of  a  mighty  people,  nor  the  most  simple-hearted 
kindness  of  his  nature,  could  save  him  from  the  fiendish  passions 
of  the  relentless  rebellion.  Waiting  millions  attend  his  remains 
as  they  are  borne  in  solemn  procession  over  our  great  rivers, 
beyond  mountains,  across  prairies,  to  their  final  resting  place  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  echos  of  his  funeral  knell  will 
vibrate  through  the  world,  and  friends  of  freedom,  of  every  tongue 
and  in  every  clime,  are  his  mourners. 

"  Members  of  the  Government  which  preceded  his  administra- 
tion, opened  the  gates  of  treason,  and  he  closed  them.  When  he 
went  to  Washington,  the  ground  on  which  he  trod  shook  under 
his  feet,  and  he  left  the  Republic  on  a  solid  foundation.  Traitors 
had  seized  the  public  forts  and  arsenals,  and  he  recovered  them 


148  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

to  the  United  States.  The  capital  which  he  found  the  abode 
of  slaves,  is  now  only  the  abode  of  freemen.  The  boundless 
public  domain,  which  was  grasped  at,  and  in  a  great  measure 
held  for  the  diffusion  of  slavery,  is  now  irrevocably  devoted  to 
freedom.  These  men  talked  the  jargon  of  the  balance  of  power, 
in  a  Republic,  between  slave  States  and  free  States,  and  now  their 
foolish  words  are  blown  away  forever  by  the  breath  of  a  Mary- 
land, Missouri  and  Tennessee — the  only  States  that  adopted  vol- 
untary emancipation.  The  atmosphere  is  now  purer  than  ever 
before,  and  insurrection  is  vanishing  away.  The  country  is  cast 
into  another  mould,  and  the  gigantic  system  of  wrong,  which  has 
been  the  work  of  two  centuries,  is  dashed  down  we  hope  forever. 

"  As  for  himself,  personally,  he  was  then  scoffed  at  by  the  proud, 
as  unfit  for  his  station,  and  now,  against  the  usage  of  latter  years, 
and  in  spite  of  numerous  competitors,  he  was  the  unbiased  and 
undoubted  choice  of  the  American  people  for  the  second  term  of 
service.  Through  all  the  business  of  suppressing  treason,  he  re- 
tained the  sweetest  and  most  perfect  disposition.  The  destruction 
of  the  best,  on  the  battle  field,  and  the  more  terrible  destruction 
of  our  men  in  captivity,  by  the  slow  torture  of  exposure  and 
starvation,  had  never  been  able  to  provoke  him  into  harboring 
one  revengeful  feeling,  or  one  purpose  of  cruelty.  How  shall  the 
nation  most  completely  show  its  sorrow  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  death  ? 
How  shall  it  best  honor  his  memory  ?  There  can  be  but  one  an- 
swer. Grief  must,  like  the  character  of  action,  breathe  forth,  in 
assertion  of  the  policy  to  which  he  fell  a  sacrifice.  The  standard 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  must  be  uplifted  again,  higher  than 
before,  and  must  be  carried  above  everything  else.  This  emanci 
pation  must  be  affirmed  and  maintained. 

"  For  the  Union,  Abraham  Lincoln  has  fallen  a  martyr.  His 
death,  which  was  meant  to  sever  it  beyond  repair,  binds  it  more 
firmly  than  ever.  From  Maine  to  the  Southwestern  boundary  of 
the  Pacific,  it  makes  us  one.  The  country  may  have  needed  this 
imperishable  grief,  to  touch  its  inmost  feelings.  The  grave  that 
receives  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln,  receives  a  martyr  to 
the  Union,  .and  the  monument  which  rises  over  his  body  will  bear 
witness  to  the  Union.  His  enduring  memory  will  assist,  during 
countless  ages,  to  bind  the  States  together,  and  to  incite  a  love  for 


AND  THE  NATIONAL    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.       149 

our  indivisible  country.  Peace  to  the  departed  friend  of  his 
country  and  his  race.  Happy  was  his  life,  for  he  was  a  restorer 
of  the  Republic,  and  he  was  happy  in  his  death,  for  the  manner 
of  his  end  will  plead  forever  for  the  Union  of  the  States  '  and 
the  freedom  of  man.' " 

The  last  inaugural  address  of  President  Lincoln  was 
then  read  by  Rev.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  D.D.,  followed 
by  the  reading  of  the  ninety-fourth  Psalm,  by  Rev. 
W.  H.  Boole,  which  was  exceedingly  appropriate  to 
the  occasion.  It  was  addressed  by  King  David  to  the 
enemies  of  his  country,  and  can  not  be  read  too  often. 
Prayer  was  then  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Rogers.  It  was 
both  concise  and  comprehensive,  enumerating  in  its 
petitions  all  the  wants  of  the  people  and  nation.  Rabbi 
Isaacs,  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  on  Broadway,  then 
read  a  portion  of  Scripture  and  offered  a  fervent  and 
touching  prayer,  from  which  I  give  a  single  quotation  : 

"  Thy  servant,  Abraham  Lincoln,  has,  without  warning,  been 
summoned  before  Thy  august  presence.  He  has  served  the  people 
of  his  afflicted  land  faithfully,  zealously,  honestly,  and,  we  would 
fain  hope,  in  accordance  with  Thy  supreme  will.  O,  that  his 
'  righteousness  may  precede  him  and  form  steps  for  his  way,'  to 
the  heavenly  abode  of  bliss ;  that  Thy  angels  of  mercy  may  be 
commissioned  to  convey  his  soul  to  the  spot  reserved  for  martyred 
saints;  that  the  suddenness  with  which  one  of  the  worst  of  being? 
deprived  him  of  his  life,  may  atone  for  any  errors  which  he  may 
have  committed.  Almighty  God !  every  heart  is  pierced  by  an- 
guish— every  countenance  furrowed  with  grief,  at  our  separation 
from  one  we  revered  and  loved.  We  beseech  Thee,  in  this  period 
of  our  sorrow  and  despondency,  to  soothe  our  pains  and  calm  our 
griefs.  *  *  *  *  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  show  us  this 
kindness,  so  that  our  tears  may  cease  to  depict  our  sorrow,  and 
give  place  to  the  joyful  hope  that,  through  Thy  goodness,  peace 
and  concord  may  supersede  war  and  dissension,  and  our  beloved 
Union,  restored  to  its  former  tranquility,  may  be  enabled  to  carry 
out  Thy  wish  for  the  benefit  and  the  happiness  of  humanity. 


150  THE  GREAT   FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

We  pray  Thee,  do  this ;  if  not  for  our  sakes,  for  the  sake  of  our 
little  ones,  unsullied  by  sin,  who  lisp  Thy  holy  name,  with  hands 
uplifted,  with  the  importunity  of  spotless  hearts,  they  re-echo  our 
supplication.  Let  the  past  be  the  end  of  our  sorrow,  the  future 
the  harbinger  of  peace  and  salvation  to  all  who  seek  Thee  in 
truth.  Amen." 

Rev.  Dr.  Osgood  then  read  a  hymn  entitled,  "  Thou 
hast  put  all  things  under  Thy  feet,"  which  was  written 
by  William  Cullen  Bryant.  An  "  Ode  for  the  Burial 
of  Abraham  Lincoln/'  by  the  same  author,  was  read 
by  Dr.  Osgood,  also.  It  reads  as  follows : 

"  Oh  slow  to  smite  and  swift  to  spare, 

Gentle,  and  merciful,  and  just, 
Who,  in  the  fear  of  God,  didst  bear 
The  sword  .of  power,  a  nation's  trust. 

"  In  sorrow  by  thy  bier  we  stand, 
Amid  the  awe  that  hushes  all, 
And  speak  the  anguish  of  a  land 
That  shook  with  horror  at  thy  fall. 

"  Thy  task  is  done ;  the  bond  are  free ; 
We  bear  thee  to  an  honored  grave, 
Whose  noblest  monument  shall  be 
The  broken  fetters  of  the  slave. 

"  Pure  was  thy  life ;  its  bloody  close 

Hath  placed  thee  with  the  sons  of  light, 
Among  the  noble  host  of  those 
Who  perished  in  the  cause  of  right." 

Archbishop  McClosky,  who  was  to  have  pronounced 
the  benediction,  having  become  exhausted  by  his  long 
walk  in  the  procession,  was  not  present,  and  that  ser- 
vice was  performed  by  Rev.  Dr.  Hitchcock. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  sermon  by  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  at  Plymouth  Church,  Sunday  April  30, 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        151 

1865,  with  reference  to  the  funeral  cortege  of  Abraham 
Lincoln : 

"  And  now  the  martyr  is  moving  in  triumphal  march,  mightier 
than  when  alive.  The  nation  rises  up  at  every  stage  of  his  com- 
ing ;  cities  and  states  are  as  pall  bearers,  and  the  cannon  beat  the 
hours  in  solemn  procession ;  dead,  dead,  dead,  he  yet  speaketh ! 
Is  Washington  dead  ?  Is  Hampden  dead  ?  Is  David  dead  ?  Is 
any  man,  that  was  ever  fit  to  live,  dead  ?  Disenthralled  from  the 
flesh,  and  risen  to  the  unobstructed  sphere  where  passion  never 
comes,  he  begins  his  illimitable  work.  His  life  is  now  upon  the 
infinite,  and  will  be  faithful  as  no  earthly  life  can  be.  Pass  on. 
Four  years  ago,  Oh !  Illinois,  we  took  from  your  midst  an  untried 
man,  from  among  the  people.  Behold!  we  return  to  you  a 
mighty  conqueror,  not  thine  any  more,  but  the  nation's — not 
ours,  but  the  world's.  Give  him  place,  Oh,  ye  prairies.  In  the 
midst  of  this  great  continent  his  dust  shall  rest,  a  sacred  treasure 
to  the  myriads  who  shall  pilgrimage  to  that  shrine,  to  kindle 
anew  their  zeal  and  patriotism.  Ye  winds  that  move  over  the 
mighty  prairies  of  the  west,  chant  his  requiem !  Ye  people,  be- 
hold the  martyr,  whose  blood,  as  so  many  articulated  words, 
pleads  for  fidelity,  for  law,  for  liberty." 

The  funeral  cortege  remained  thirty  hours  in  New 
York,  and  about  twenty-two  of  that  time,  the  corpse 
was  exposed  to  public  view.  During  those  hours,  it 
was  thought  to  be  a  moderate  estimate,  that  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  persons  looked  upon  the 
rigid  features  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  was  also  esti- 
mated that,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  from  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  thousand  persons  took  part  in  the 
procession,  and  that  there  was  at  least  half  a  million 
spectators  along  the  line  of  the  procession.  Some 
newspaper  reporters  placed  the  number  that  viewed 
the  remains  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  and  the 
spectators  of  the  procession  at  three  quarters  of  a 
million. 

The  more  I  think  of  the  subject,  the  more  I  am 


152  THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

impressed  with  the  inadequacy  of  language  to  convey 
a  correct  idea  of  the  intensity  of  feeling  and  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  demonstration;  but  take  it  in  all  its 
bearings,  New  York  paid  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  like  of  which  was 
never  approached  in  this  country  before,  and  has  proba- 
bly not  been  excelled  in  the  obsequies  of  any  ruler  in 
the  history  of  the  world. 

One  incident  I  can  not  forbear  to  mention.  Lieuten- 
ant Oreneral  Scott  accompanied  the  escort  through  the 
city,  in  his  carriage.  At  the  Thirtieth  street  depot,  he 
paid  his  last  respects  to  the  remains  of  President  Lin- 
coln, and  then  withdrew  from  the  crowd  and  stood 
alone,  waiting  for  the  departure  of  the  train.  One  of 
the  Illinois  delegation,  who  was  also  a  member  of 
Congress,  approached  the  General  and  introduced  him- 
self, offering  as  an  apology  for  doing  so,  the  fact  that 
it  was  his  first,  and  might  be  his  last  opportunity. 
General  Scott  assured  him  that  no  apology  was  necces- 
sary,  and  straightening  himself  to  his  full  height,  said, 
"  You  do  me  honor,  Sir. '  Notwithstanding  he  was  in 
his  seventy-ninth  year,  the  gentleman  who  related  the 
circumstance  to  me,  says  he  was  the  most  majestic 
specimen  of  a  man  he  ever  saw.  After  introducing 
the  other  members  of  the  delegation,  they  all  left  him 
and  entered  the  cars. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


The  hearse  car  and  Generals'  car,  or  that  occupied 
by  the  Guard  of  Honor,  were  transferred  from  Jersey 
City  to  New  York  on  a  tug  boat.  Those  two,  with 
seven  others  furnished  by  the  Hudson  River  railroad, 
made  up  the  train  to  convey  the  funeral  party  from 
New  York  to  Albany.  All  things  being  in  readiness, 
the  train  left  the  Thirtieth  street  depot  at  4:15  p.  m., 
April  25,  leaving  an  immense  multitude  of  spectators, 
the  men  with  uncovered  heads.  They  then  dispersed, 
to  treasure  up  the  memories  of  that  day  to  the  end  of 
their  lives. 

At  all  the  stations  were  demonstrations  of  sorrow  and 
respect.  Fort  Washington,  Mount  St.  Vincent,  Yonk- 
ers,  Hastings,  Dobb's  Ferry,  Irvington,  Tarrytown, 
Sing  Sing,  Montrose,  Peekskill,  and  many  other  sta- 
tions, were  all  passed  in  quick  succession.  At  many 
of  them  the  train  was  greeted  with  minute  guns  and 
bands  performing  dirges.  Funeral  arches  and  inscrip- 
tions expressive  of  the  sorrow  of  the  people,  were 
everywhere  visible.  At  some  of  the  stations  groups  of 
young  ladies  were  standing  on  the  platforms,  represent- 
ing the  States,  dressed  in  white  with  mourning  badges. 
Many  of  the  mottoes  seen  before  were  repeated.  Among 
the  new  ones,  were  such  as,  "  He  died  for  truth." 
"  Bear  him  gently  to  his  rest." 

Garrison's  Landing,  6:20  p.  m.  This  is  opposite 
West  Point,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  ferry.  A 
company  of  Regular  soldiers  and  all  the  West  Point 
Cadets  were  drawn  up  in  line.  The  officers  of  the 
Academy  stood  apart,  all  with  uncovered  heads.  The 


154  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Cadets  all  passed  through  the  funeral  car  and  saluted 
the  remains  of  their  late  Commander-in-Chief.  Mean- 
while, salutes  were  being  fired  from  West  Point,  at  the 
west  side  of  the  river. 

At  Cold  Spring,  an  arch  was  visible,  with  a  young 
lady  representing  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  weeping. 
She  was  supported  by  two  boys,  one  representing  a 
sailor,  the  other  a  soldier. 

Fishkill,  6:55  p.  m.  The  depot  was  artistically 
draped  in  mourning,  with  the  motto,  "  In  God  we 
trust."  Newburg  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson, 
opposite  Fishkill.  A  flag  draped  in  mourning  was  dis- 
played from  the  house  where  General  Washington  had 
his  headquarters  in  revolutionary  times. 

Poughkeepsie,  7:10  p.  m.  A  bounteous  supper  was 
waiting  here  for  the  entire  escort.  A  committee  of 
seven  ladies  placed  a  wreath  of  roses  on  the  coffin  of 
.the  martyred  President.  A  band,  composed  of  students 
from  Eastman's  business  college,  accompanied  the 
funeral  train  from  New  York.  Professor  Eastman, 
with  the  remainder  of  his  twelve  hundred  pupils, 
helped  to  make  up  the  twenty-five  thousand  assembled 
here.  After  a  stay  of  nearly  one  hour,  the  train  moved 
on,  and  from  this  time  it  was  lighted  by  bonfires  and 
torches,  at  the  different  stations.  Passing  Hyde  Park 
and  Straasburgh,  the  train  reaches  Rhinebeck  at  8:35, 
but  no  stoppage.  A  torchlight  procession  enabled  the 
assembled  crowds  of  people  to  view  the  imposing 
funeral  cortege  as  it  flitted  by.  Barrytown,  Tivoli, 
Germantown  and  Catskill  present  a  scene  of  mourning, 
drapery,  bonfires  and  torchlights  ;  reaching  Hudson  at 
9:45  p.  m.  Thousands  of  people  were  assembled,  min- 
ute guns  fired,  buildings  illuminated  and  draped  in 
mourning.  Stockport,  Stuyvesant  and  Castleton  were 
passed,  at  all  of  which  were  bonfires  or  torchlights. 

Arrived  at  East  Albany  10:55  p.  m.,  to  find  the  depot 
draped  in  mourning,  bells  tolling,  cannon  firing,  sol- 
diers marching,  and  three  companies  of  firemen  bear- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        155 

ing  torches  to  light  the  funeral  party  across  the  river 
to  Albany.  The  remains  were  taken  from  the  car  and 
placed  in  a  hearse.  The  entire  party  passed  over  on 
the  ferryboat,  and  were  escorted  by  a  midnight  torch- 
light procession  to  the  State  Capitol. 

The  coffin  was  deposited  in  the  Assembly  Chamber 
on  a  catafalque  prepared  for  the  occasion.  Over  the 
Speaker's  desk  appeared  the  following  inscription  : 
"  I  have  sworn  a  solemn  oath  to  preserve,  protect  and 
defend  the  Government." 

At  half  past  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April 
26,  all  being  in  readiness,  the  coffin  was  opened  and 
the  people  admitted  to  view  the  remains.  They  passed 
by  at  the  rate  of  sixty  or  seventy  per  minute  from  the 
commencement,  and  the  number  increased  as  daylight 
approached.  When  the  morning  dawned  it  revealed 
the  fact  that  the  whole  city  was  draped  in  mourning, 
with  mottoes  and  inscriptions  tastefully  displayed  at 
appropriate  points.  Some  of  the  most  touching  were 
quotations  from  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  words,  such  as, 

"  The  heart  of  the  nation  throbs  heavily  at  the  portals  of  the 

tomb." 
"  Let  us  resolve  that  the  martyred  dead  shall  not  have  died  in 

vain." 

The  numbers  increased,  until  the  line  of  those 
awaiting  admission  was  more  than  a  mile  in  length, 
one  half  of  them  being  ladies,  all  pressing  towards 
the  portals  of  the  stately  edifice.  The  cars  and  steam- 
boats arriving  that  morning  brought  additional  thou- 
sands to  the  city,  many  of  them  coming  from  one  to 
two  hundred  miles.  From  the  time  of  its  arrival, 
the  coffin  was  strewn  with  flowers  of  the  most  rare 
and  costly  varieties.  As  fast  as  they  exhibited  signs 
of  fading,  they  were  removed,  and  fresh  ones  put  in 
their  places.  Solemn  dirges  were  performed  at  in- 
tervals by  the  musical  societies  and  bands.  The 
stream  of  people  continued  to  pour  through  the  edifice, 


156  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

to  take  a  last  look  at  the  distinguished  dead,  and  yet, 
when  the  hour  arrived  for  replacing  the  cover,  thou- 
sands were  still  in  line  pressing  their  way  toward  the 
State  House.  Governor  Fenton  met  the  funeral  party 
at  New  York,  and  returned  with  it  to  Albany,  but 
could  go  no  further  from  the  fact  that  the  Legislature 
was  about  to  adjourn,  and  the  business  before  it  re- 
quired his  presence. 

While  the  people  were  filing  through  the  Capitol  of 
the  most  populous  State  of  the  Union,  at  the  rate  of 
more  than  four  thousand  an  hour,  to  do  homage  to  the 
remains  of  our  martyred  President,  a  far  different  scene 
was  being  enacted,  in  which  his  assassin  was  the  cen- 
tral figure.  On  Monday  evening,  the  twenty-fourth 
of  April,  a  detachment  of  the  16th  regiment  of  New 
York  cavalry,  numbering  twenty-five  men,  under  the 
direction  of  Col.  L.  C.  Baker,  of  the  Government 
detective  force,  left  Washington  to  visit  the  south- 
ern part  of  Maryland,  in  search  of  John  Wilkes 
Booth.  They  learned  from  a  colored  man  that  he  had 
crossed  the  Potomac  river  into  Virginia,  and  soon 
ascertained  that  he  and  his  accomplice,  Harold,  were 
well  armed,  and  secreted  in  a  barn,  between  Port  Royal 
and  Bowling  Green,  the  county  seat  of  Caroline  county. 
Lieutenant  Dougherty  arranged  his  forces,  surrounded 
the  barn  about  dusk  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  called 
upon  them  to  surrender.  Several  hours  were  spent  in 
efforts  to  capture  them,  but  Booth  steadily  expressed 
his  determination  not  to  be  taken  alive.  Despairing 
of  success  in  any  other  way,  fire  was  applied  to  some 
straw  in  the  barn,  hoping  to  drive  them  out  and  then 
capture  them.  Seeing  no  hope  of  escape,  Harold  sur- 
rendered, but  Booth  drew  up  his  gun,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  taking  aim  at  one  of  the  party  outside.  At  this 
juncture,  Lieutenant  Dougherty  ordered  Sergeant  Bos- 
ton Corbett  to  fire.  The  shot  took  effect  in  Booth's 
head,  but  little  differing  from  the  wound  he  inflicted 
on  President  Lincoln.  He  was  shot  about  four  o'clock 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        157 

Tuesday  morning,  April  26,  and  died  about  seven 
o'clock,  after  three  hours  of  the  most  intense  agony. 

From  the  time  the  funeral  party  started,  they  had 
been  astonished  to  witness  the  immense  throngs  of  peo- 
ple who,  night  and  day,  through  sunshine  and  storm, 
met  them  at  every  point  to  see  the  great  funeral  cor- 
tege and  view  the  remains.  They  feared  the  people  of 
Springfield  would  be  overwhelmed  with  numbers  be- 
fore they  realized  the  intensity  of  feeling  on  the  part 
of  the  people.  At  Albany  the  Illinois  Delegation  held 
a  consultation  and  decided  that  it  was  best  for  one  of 
their  number  to  go  at  once  to  Springfield  and  impress 
upon  the  citizens  the  importance  of  exerting  themselves 
to  the  utmost  in  making  suitable  preparations  for  the 
final  ceremonies.  Col.  John  Williams  volunteered  to 
discharge  that  duty,  and  started  immediately  for  Spring- 
field. 

After  the  remains  of  the  President  were  taken  from 
the  train  at  East  Albany,  the  hearse  car  and  that  occu- 
pied by  the  Guard  of  Honor,  were  run  up  the  river 
five  miles,  to  Troy,  where  they  were  taken  across  the 
Hudson  on  the  railroad  bridge,  and  run  down  the  west 
side  to  the  depot  of  the  Central  Railroad,  at  Albany. 
At  two  o'clock  p.  m.  the  coffin  was  closed  and  conveyed 
to  a  magnificent  hearse,  drawn  by  eight  white  horses. 
It  was  escorted  by  a  vast  procession,  composed  of  all 
the  military  at  Albany  and  Troy,  the  fire  department, 
the  State  and  city  authorities,  about  thirty  civic  asso- 
ciations and  the  citizens  generally,  to  the  New  York 
Central  depot,  where  it  was  again  placed  on  board  the 
hearse  car. 

Never  before  were  such  multitudes  of  people  gath- 
ered at  the  Capital  of  the  State.  Every  one  seemed 
fully  to  realize  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  It  was 
estimated  that  at  least  fifty  thousand  men,  women  and 
children  visited  the  remains  during  the  twelve  and  a 
half  hours  they  were  exposed  to  view.  The  Central 


158  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

railroad  furnished  seven  of  its  finest  cars,  making  the 
same  number  the  train  had  been  composed  of  before, 
and  at  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  April  26,  the  great  funeral  cor- 
tege resumed  its  journey  westward  through  the  empire 
State. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


The  train  arrived  at  Schenectady  at  forty-five  minutes 
past  four  o'clock,  to  find  a  multitude  of  people  assem- 
bled. The  depot,  business  and  dwelling  houses  were 
draped  in  mourning.  The  women  were  much  affected, 
many  of  them  crying  audibly,  and  tears  coursed  down 
many  manly  cheeks.  The  mechanics  of  the  railroad 
shops  all  stood  in  line,  with  heads  uncovered,  and  the 
utmost  silence  prevailed. 

Amsterdam,  5:25  p.  m.  A  crowd  of  people  were  at 
the  depot.  They  were  evidently  from  the  country,  as 
it  was  but  a  small  village,  and  the  line  was  almost  a 
mile  long.  The  train  passed  through  an  arch,  deco- 
rated with  red,  white  and  blue,  and  draped  in  mourn- 
ing. The  village  bells  tolled  from  the  time  the  train 
came  within  hearing  until  it  passed. 

Funda,  5:45  p.  m.  Depot,  houses,  and  an  arch  across 
the  railroad,  all  decorated  with  ftags  and  draped  in 
mourning.  Minute  guns  were  fired  as  the  train  arrived, 
and  continued  until  it  passed  out  of  hearing. 

Palatine  Bridge,  6:25  p.  m.  In  passing  along  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk  river,  the  railroad  runs  under 
the  Palatine  Bridge,  which  was  artistically  decorated 
with  flags,  intertwined  with  mourning  emblems.  On 
approaching  the  village  of  the  same  name,  a  white  cross 
was  erected  on  a  grassy  mound.  The  cross  was  robed 
in  evergreens  and  mourning.  On  each  side  was  a 
woman,  apparently  weeping.  Inscribed  on  the  cross 
were  the  words, "  We  have  prayed  for  you  ;  now  we 
can  only  weep."  The  village  buildings  were  draped 


160  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE. 

in  mourning,  minute  guns  fired,  and  a  band  was  play- 
ing most  solemn  music. 

Fort  Plain,  6:32  p.  m.  The  depot  was  draped  in 
mourning,  and  a  large  gathering  of  people  looked 
mournfully  at  the  train  as  it  swept  by. 

St.  Johnsville,  N.  Y.,  6:47  p.  m.,  April  26.  The 
funeral  escort  were  the  guests  of  all  the  cities  where 
they  stopped  for  public  demonstrations  of  respect  to  be 
paid  to  the  remains. .  At  Harrisburg  they  were  quar- 
terted  at  the  Jones  House ;  in  Philadelphia,  at  the  Con- 
tinental Hotel ;  in  New  York  at  the  Metropolitan 
Hotel,  and  in  Albany,  at  the  Delavan  House.  The 
first  place  where  the  services  of  Captain  Penrose,  the 
commissary  of  subsistence,  were  brought  into  requisi- 
tion, was  on  the  run  from  New  York  to  Albany ,when 
it  was  necessary  to  have  supper  prepared  at  Pough- 
keepsie.  Between  Albany  and  Buffalo,the  distance  being 
too  great  to  pass  over  without  refreshments,  Commissary 
Penrose  made  arrangements  to  have  them  supplied  at 
St.  Johnsville,  and  when  the  train  arrived,  a  bounteous 
supper  was  in  waiting.  The  depot  was  elaborately 
draped  in  mourning.  Twenty-four  young  ladies,  from 
the  most  wealthy  and  refined  families  of  the  village 
and  surrounding  country,  dressed  in  white  with  black 
velvet  badges,  waited  on  the  tables.  After  supper, 
these  young  ladies  assembled,  entered  the  hearse  car, 
and  placed  a  wreath  of  flowers  on  the  coffin,  and  then 
the  train  moved  on  in  its  westward  course. 

It  was  now  quite  dark,  and  the  remaining  distance 
to  Buffalo  occupied  the  whole  time  until  daylight. 

Those  on  board  the  train  remember  this  as  hav- 
ing been  the  most  remarkable  portion  of  the  whole 
route  for  its  continuous  and  hearty  demonstrations  of 
respect  —  if  any  part  could  be  so  designated,  where 
all  were  without  precedent.  Bonfires  and  torchlights 
illumined  the  road  the  entire  distance.  Minute  guns 
were  fired  at  so  many  points  that  it  seemed  almost 
continuous.  Singing  soceities  and  bands  of  music 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.         161 

were  so  numerous  that,  after  passing  a  station,  the 
sound  of  a  dirge  or  requiem  would  scarcely  die  away 
in  the  distance, until  it  would  be  caught  up  at  the  town 
or  village  they  were  approaching.  Thus  through  the 
long  hours  of  the  night  did  the  funeral  cortege  receive 
such  honors  that  it  seemed  more  like  the  march  of  a 
mighty  conqueror,  than  respect  to  the  remains  of  one 
of  the  most  humble  of  the  sons  of  earth. 

We  will  notice  in  detail  some  of  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages on  the  line. 

Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  7:35  p.  m.  The  train  paused 
here  long  enough  for  a  wreath  of  flowers  in  the  form 
of  a  shield  and  cross,  to  be  placed  on  the  coffin.  It 
bore  the  following  inscription. 

"  The  ladies  of  Little  Falls,  through  their  committee,  present 
these  flowers.  The  shield,  as  an  emblem  of  the  protection  which 
our  beloved  President  has  ever  proved  to  the  liberties  of  the 
American  people.  The  cross,  of  his  ever  faithful  trust  in  God ; 
and  the  wreath  as  a  token  that  we  mingle  our  tears  with  those  of 
our  afflicted  nation." 

Herkimer,  7:50  p.  m.  Thirty-six  young  ladies, 
dressed  in  white,  with  black  sashes,  and  holding  flags 
representing  the  thirty-six  States  of  the  Union,  were 
on  the  platform,  surrounded  by  a  vast  multitude.  A 
band  was  playing  solemn  music,  and  wreaths  of  flowers 
were  thrown  on  board  the  train  as  it  moved  slowly  past. 

Ilion,  N.  Y.,  7:56.  Remington's  gun  factory  was 
brilliantly  illuminated.  A  torchlight  procession  and 
boy  zouaves  were  in  line. 

Utica,  8:25  p.  m.,  April  26.  The  depot  and  other 
buildings  draped  in  mourning.  Many  banners  were 
displayed  in  mourning  and  bearing  inscriptions.  Min- 
ute guns  were  firing  and  bands  playing  solemn  dirges. 
A  multitude  of  people  were  assembled  and  a  gorgeous 
torchlight  procession  was  in  line. 

As  the  train  swept  by  Whitesboro  and  Oriskany,  the 
people  were  gathered  in  crowds  around  large  bonfires, 
and  were  waving  flags  trimmed  with  mourning. 
11 


162  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEOE, 

Rome,  April  26,  9:10  p.  m.  It  was  raining  heavily 
when  the  train  arrived  at  this  place,  but  there  was  an 
immense  crowd  assembled  at  the  depot,  which  was 
richly  draped  in  mourning.  A  band  of  music  on  the 
platform  was  playing  a  dead  march. 

Green's  Corners  and  Verona  were  next  passed,  at 
both  of  which  large  numbers  of  people  were  standing 
around  bonfires. 

Oneida,  9:50  p.  m.  An  arch  draped  in  mourning, 
bore  the  inscription  :  "  We  mourn  with  the  nation." 
The  depot  was  decorated  with  flags  all  draped  in  mourn- 
ing. A  crowd  of  people  were  at  the  depot,  the  men 
with  heads  uncovered.  A  company  of  firemen  bearing 
lighted  torches  were  in  line. 

At  Canastota,  Canaserga,  Chittenango,  Kirkville  and 
Manlius,  the  people  stood  around  bonfires  and  carried 
lighted  torches  to  see  the  funeral  cortege  on  its  west- 
ward course. 

Syracuse,  April  26,  11:05  p.  m.  The  depot  and  ad- 
joining buildings  were  almost  covered  with  the  in- 
signia of  sorrow.  Many  dwellings  were  illuminated 
and  mourning  drapery  suspended  around  the  windows. 
Tears  coursed  down  the  cheeks  of  both  men  and 
women.  Minute  guns  were  firing  and  bands  playing 
solemn  dirges.  The  scene  was  grand  and  imposing. 

Memphis,  N.  Y.,  midnight.  At  this  place,  and 
Warners,  just  passed,  people  stood  in  groups,  with  un- 
covered heads  and  lighted  torches,  to  see  the  funeral 
cortege  glide  past. 

At  Weedsport,  Jordan,  Port  Byron,  Savannah,  Clyde, 
Lyons  and  Newark,  the  depots  were  draped  in  mourn- 
ing, bonfires  and  torchlights  revealed  groups  of  men 
and  women  with  bare  heads  standing  for  hours  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  to  catch  a  passing  view  of  the  great 
funeral. 

Palmyra,  N.  Y..  April  27,  2:15  a.  m.  The  depot  is 
nicely  decorated,  and  men,  women  and  children  flock 
about  the  hearse  car. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        163 

Meriden  was  next  passed,  and  a  bonfire  threw  a 
glare  of  light  on  the  whole  surrounding  scene. 

Fairport,  2:50  a.  m.  The  people  with  lighted  torches, 
banners,  badges  and  mourning  inscriptions  were  assem- 
bled in  large  numbers,  to  view  the  funeral  train. 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  3:20  a.  m,  Thursday,  April  27. 
Here  there  were  assembled  an  immense  multitude, 
numbering  many  thousands.  The  Mayor,  City  Coun- 
cil, military  and  civic  organizations  were  out  in  full 
force.  The  depot  was  draped  in  mourning,  and  in- 
scriptions and  mottoes  were  displayed,  expressive  of  the 
sorrow  of  the  people.  From  the  time  the  funeral  cor- 
tege arrived  until  it  passed  out  of  hearing  distance, 
minute  guns  were  fired,  bells  tolled  and  bands  per- 
formed measured  and  mournful  music. 

The  towns,  Coldwater,  Chili,  Churchville,  Bergen, 
West  Bergen  and  Byron  were  passed.  At  all  of  these 
the  people  were  gathered  in  groups  around  bonfires,  and 
some  were  carrying  lighted  torches,  all  eager  to  obtain 
a  view  of  the  funeral  cortege  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Batavia,  N.  Y.,  5:18  a.  m.,  April  27.  A  large  num- 
ber of  citizens  were  assembled  at  the  depot,  which  was 
richly  draped  in  mourning.  A  choir  of  male  and 
female  voices  were  singing  a  requiem.  Minute  guns 
were  firing  and  bells  tolling  from  the  time  the  cortege 
arrived  until  it  passed  out  of  hearing. 

At  Crofts,  Corfu,  Alden,  Wende  and  Lancaster,  the 
depots  were  draped,  flags  displayed  and  the  people  stood 
in  groups  with  uncovered  heads,  as  the  funeral  cortege 
glided  by.  Soon  after  daylight,  in  passing  a  farm 
house,  a  group  of  children  were  seen  in  a  wagon  wav- 
ing flags  trimmed  with  mourning,  towards  the  train. 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  7  a.  m.,  Thursday,  April  27.  The 
following  editorial  appeared  in  the  Buffalo  Daily  Ex- 
press, a  few  days  after  the  assassination  : 

"  How  reverently  Abraham  Lincoln  was  loved  by  the  common 
people ;  how  much  they  had  leaned  upon  the  strength  of  his  heroic 


164  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

character,  in  the  great  trial  through  which  he  led  them;  how  per- 
fect a  trust  they  reposed  in  his  wisdom,  his  integrity,  his  patriot- 
ism, and  the  fortitude  of  his  faithful  heart;  how  great  a  sphere  he 
filled  in  the  constitution  of  their  hopes,  they  did  not  know  before. 
The  shock  of  consternation,  grief,  and  horror,  which  revealed  it 
to  them,  was  undoubtedly  the  most  profound  that  ever  fell  upon 
a  people.  It  shook  this  nation  like  an  earthquake.  The  strong 
men  of  the  nation  wept  together  like  children.  Never,  do  we 
believe,  was  there  exhibited  such  a  spectacle  of  manly  tears, 
wrung  from  stout  hearts,  by  bitter  anguish,  as  in  the  streets  of 
every  city,  town  and  hamlet,  in  these  United  States,  on  Saturday 
last.  Ah!  there  was  a  deep  planting  of  love  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen !  Noble  soul,  honest  heart, 
wise  statesman,  upright  magistrate,  brave  old  patriot,  the  nation 
was  orphaned  by  thy  death  and  felt  the  grief  of  orphanage 

It  would  be  natural  to  expect  that  where  such  noble 
and  sympathetic  sentiments  were  expressed,  the  remains 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  would  receive  a  tender  greeting. 
An  extensive  military  and  civic  funeral  procession 
turned  out  on  the  nineteenth,  the  day  the  obsequies 
took  place  at  Washington.  For  this  reason  there  were 
no  preparations  for  any  such  demonstration  on  the  arri- 
val of  the  funeral  cortege,  but  it  was  met  at  the  depot 
by  a  large  concourse  of  people.  An  impromptu  pro- 
cession was  formed  by  citizens,  headed  by  the  military. 
The  coffin  was  taken  to  a  fine  hearse,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  black  cloth,  and  surrounded  by  an  arched 
canopy  tastefully  trimmed  with  white  satin  and  silver 
lace.  The  coffin  was  elevated  so  as  to  be  seen  at  a  long 
distance.  The  procession  moved  along  the  principal 
streets  to  the  sound  of  solemn  music,  and  reached  St. 
James  Hall  about  half  past  nine  o'clock.  The  body 
was  conveyed  into  the  Hall  and  deposited  on  a  dais,  in 
the  presence  of  the  accompanying  Guard  of  Honor  and 
the  Union  Continentals.  As  the  remains  were  carried 
in,  the  Buffalo  St.  Cecelia  Society  sang,  with  much  feel- 
ing, the  dirge,  "  Rest,  Spirit,  Rest; "  after  which,  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT          165 

Society  placed  an  elegantly  formed  harp,  made  of  choice 
white  flowers,  at.  the  head  of  the  coffin,  which  was  over- 
shadowed by  a  crape  canopy,  and  the  space  lighted  up 
by  a  large  chandelier  in  the  ceiling.  Ex-President 
Fillmore  was  among  the  civilians  composing  the  escort 
to  St.  James  Hall.  Large  numbers  of  Canadians  came 
over  to  Buffalo  during  the  day,  to  manifest  their  sym- 
pathy by  taking  part  in  the  procession  and  viewing  the 
remains.  The  funeral  party  being  the  guests  of  the 
city,  were  quartered  at  the  Mansion  House.  All  kinds 
of  business  was  suspended,  and  it  was  estimated  that 
between  forty  and  fifty  thousand  persons  took  a  parting 
look  at  the  remains.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  coffin  was  closed ;  about  nine  it  was  taken  back  to 
the  depot,  and  at  ten  p.  m.  the  train  resumed  its  jour- 
ney. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


At  New  Hamburg,  North  Evans,  Lake  view,  Angola 
and  Silver  Creek,  the  depots  were  draped  in  mourning, 
large  bonfires  were  burning,  and  the  people  were  assem- 
bled in  great  numbers  to  see  the  funeral  cortege  of  the 
martyred  President. 

Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  12:10  a.  m.,  Friday,  April  28.  The 
depot  was  elaborately  and  artistically  decorated  with 
mourning  drapery  and  festoons  of  evergreens.  An 
immense  throng  of  people  were  assembled,  who  stood 
with  heads  uncovered  as  the  train  moved  up.  The 
principal  feature  of  the  scene  was  a  group  of  thirty- 
six  young  ladies,  representing  the  States  of  the  Union, 
dressed  in  white,  with  black  scarfs  on  their  shoulders. 
All  were  kneeling,  and  each  held  in  her  hands  a  na- 
tional flag.  It  was  a  beautiful  tableau,  as  seen  at  the 
midnight  hour  by  the  glare  of  more  than  a  hundred 
lamps  and  torches.  When  the  train  stopped,  the  young 
ladies  entered  the  funeral  car  and  placed  a  wreath  of 
flowers  and  evergreens  on  the  coffin.  The  firing  of 
minute  guns,  the  tolling  of  bells,  and  the  band  per- 
forming a  requiem,  combined  with  the  other  parts  to 
present  a  spectacle  such  as  had  never  before  been  wit- 
nessed on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie. 

At  Brockton  there  was  a  crowd  standing  with  heads 
uncovered  and  in  silence  as  the  train  passed  by. 

Westfield,  N.  Y.,  one  o'clock  a.  m.,  April  28.  The 
train  stopped  for  wood  and  water,  and  a  delegation  of 
five  ladies  placed  a  cross  and  wreath  of  roses  on  the 
coffin.  It  bore  the  inscription  : 

"  Our's,  the  Cross;  Thine,  the  Crown." 


THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       167 

All  of  them  were  affected  to  tears,  and  considered  it 
a  privilege  to  kiss  the  coffin. 

Kipley,  N.  Y.  Flags  were  draped  in  mourning,  bon- 
fires blazing,  and  the  people  stood  in  groops  with  heads 
uncovered. 

State  Line,  between  New  York  and  Pennsylvania, 
1:32  a.  m.,  April  28.  A  bonfire  was  blazing,  flags  were 
draped,  and  a  large  number  of  people  were  assembled 
to  look  at  the  funeral  cortege  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

North  East,  Pa.,  1:47  a.  m.  A  little  girl  came  on 
board  with  a  cross  and  wreath  of  roses  and  other  flow- 
ers, and  placed  it  on  the  coffin.  The  cross  bore  the 
inscription :  "  Rest  in  Peace."  Major  General  Dix 
took  leave  of  the  remains  at  this  place  and  returned 
to  New  York.  F.  F.  Faran,  Mayor  of  Erie,  and 
others,  came  on  board. 

Erie,  Pa.,  2:50  a.  m.,  April  28.  The  citizens  of 
Erie  were  making  arrangements  to  give  suitable  recep- 
tion to  the  honored  remains,  when  they  were  informed 
by  the  Superintendent  of  the  Cleveland  &  Erie  rail- 
road that  the  funeral  escort  had  made  a  special  request 
that  no  public  demonstration  be  made  at  that  place,  in 
order  to  give  them  an  opportunity  for  repose.  The 
request  was  unauthorized,  but  it  deprived  them  of  a 
mournful  pleasure.  Notwithstanding  this,  a  large  num- 
ber of  people  were  assembled  at  the  depot,  where  a 
transparency  was  displayed,  with  the  inscription  : 

"  Abraham  Lincoln  may  die,  but  the  principles  embalmed  in  his 
blood  will  live  forever." 

Girard,  Pa.  A  large  number  of  people  were  collect- 
ed at  the  depot,  which  was  draped  with  mourning  and 
illuminated  with  bonfires. 

Springfield,  Pa.,  2:27  a.  m.,  April  28.  A  large  crowd 
of  people,  with  lighted  torches  and  drooping  flags  were 
assembled  at  the  depot  to  see  the  funeral  cortege  pass 

by- 


168  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 

Conneaut,  Ohio,  3:48  a.  m.,  April  28.  This  is  the 
first  station  in  Ohio.  The  depot  was  draped  in  mourn- 
ing and  a  large  number  of  persons  on  the  platform  with 
heads  uncovered. 

Kingsville,  Ohio.  Depot  was  draped  and  a  crowd 
of  people. 

Ashtabula,  Ohio,  4:27  a.  m.  Minute  guns  heralded 
the  approach  of  the  funeral  train.  The  depot  was 
draped  in  mourning  and  flags  floating  to  the  breeze. 
Mottoes  and  inscriptions  were  displayed  expressing  the 
sorrow  of  the  people  for  the  cruel  assassination  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

Geneva,  Madison,  Perry,  Painesville  and  Mentor 
were  passed  as  the  day  dawned,  but  the  depots  were  all 
draped  in  mourning,  flags  floating,  mottoes  displayed 
and  large  crowds  of  people,  all  eager  to  see  the  hearse 
car  bearing  all  that  was  mortal  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
to  his  rest. 

Willoughby,  Ohio,  April  28,  6:08  a.  m.  Notwith- 
standing the  early  morning  hour,  a  number  of  very 
aged  men  were  seen  leaning  on  their  staffs  with  their 
snow-white  locks  uncovered.  Hundreds  of  watchers 
looked  longingly  at  the  sable  cortege  gliding  by. 

Wickliffe,  Ohio,  6:20  a.  m.  Governor  John  Brough, 
on  the  part  of  Ohio,  received  the  funeral  party.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  staff,  consisting  of  Adj.  Gen. 
B.  R.  Cowan,  Asst.  Adj.  Gen.  John  T.  Mercer,  Quar. 
Mast.  Gen.  Merrill  Barlow,  Sergeon  Gen.  R.  N.  Barr, 
Col.  S.  D.  Maxwell,  Aid-de-Camp,  and  F.  A.  Marble, 
Private  Secretary.  Ex-Governor  Tod,  Senator  Sher- 
man, Hon.  Sam.  Galloway,  and  others,  accompanied 
the  party. 

Major  General  Joseph  Hooker,  commanding  the 
department  of  Ohio,  with  his  staff,  came  on  board  the 
train  at  Wickliffe,  and,  under  General  Orders  No.  72, 
took  chief  command  of  the  funeral  escort.  A  delega- 
tion of  about  twenty -five  citizens  of  Cleveland  met  the 
train  at  this  point  and  formed  part  of  the  escort. 


AND  THE    NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       169 

Euclid,  6:32  a.  m.  More  of  the  citizens  of  Cleve- 
land came  on  board  the  train  at  this  point. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  7  o'clock  a.  m.,  Friday,  April  28. 
The  attention  of  those  on  the  train,  was  first  attracted 
by  a  magnificent  arch,  bearing,  in  large  letters,  the  in- 
scription : 

"ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

Immediately  under  the  arch  was  a  female,  dressed  to 
represent  the  Goddess  of  Liberty.  She  held  in  her 
hand  a  flag,  and  this,  together  with  her  cap,  was  braid- 
ed in  mourning.  An  immense  multitude  thronged  the 
streets.  At  seven  o'clock,  as  the  train  arrived,  a  na- 
tional salute  of  thirty-six  guns  was  fired,  and  half-hour 
guns  from  that  time  until  sunset.  As  the  funeral  cor- 
tege approached,  the  bells  throughout  the  city  com- 
menced tolling,  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  and  all  the 
hotels  and  other  public  buildings  displayed  the  Ameri- 
can flag  at  half-mast,  and  all  business  houses  were 
closed,  and  remained  so  throughout  the  day.  At  half 
past  seven  an  immense  procession  consisting  of  mili- 
tary and  civic  associations,  was  formed  at  the  Euclid 
street  station.  It  was  composed  of  six  divisions,  each 
headed  by  a  band.  As  soon  as  the  train  arrived  at 
the  station  the  coffin  was  placed  in  a  magnificent  hearse, 
draped  with  the  American  flag  trimmed  with  mourn- 
ing. 

The  procession  moved  through  Euclid  street  to  Erie 
street,  down  Erie  to  Superior  street,  thence  to  a  public 
park,  where  a  beautiful  temple  had  been  erected.  This 
temple  was  twenty-four  by  thirty-six  feet,  and  fourteen 
feet  high,  to  the  cornice.  The  roof  was  in  pagoda 
style.  Within  this  temple  was  a  gorgeous  catafalque. 
The  coffin  was  laid  on  a  dais,  about  two  feet  above  the 
floor  of  the  catafalque.  The  columns  were  wreathed 
with  evergreens  and  white  flowers,  and  trimmed  with 
mourning.  Black  cloth  fringed  with  silver,  drooped 


170  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

from  the  corners  and  the  centre  of  the  canopy,  and  looped 
back  to  the  columns.  The  floor  and  sides  of  the  dais 
were  covered  with  black  cloth,  bordered  with  silver 
fringe.  The  cornice  was  brilliantly  ornamented  with 
white  rosettes  and  stars  of  silver.  The  inside  of  the 
canopy  was  lined  with  black  cloth,  gathered  in  folds, 
and  black  and  white  crape.  In  the  centre  of  the  can- 
opy was  a  large  star  of  black  velvet,  ornamented  with 
thirty-six  silver  stars,  representing  the  States  of  the 
Union.  The  dais  was  covered  with  flowers  and  a  fig- 
ure representing  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  was  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  coffin.  The  ceiling  of  the  temple  was 
hung  with  festoons  of  evergreens  and  flowers.  Lamps 
were  attached  to  the  pillars  of  the  catafalque,  and  the 
columns  of  the  temple,  that  the  remains  might  be 
viewed  at  night  as  well  as  by  day.  This  temple  seemed, 
in  daylight,  as  if  it  was  a  creation  of  fairy  land,  and 
when  lighted  up  with  all  the  lanterns,  and  standing  out 
amid  the  surrounding  darkness,  looked  more  like  the 
realization  of  an  enchanted  castle  than  the  work  of 
men's  hands.  The  cost  of  it  must  have  been  very 
great,  and  I  have  beep  thus  minute  in  the  description 
because  there  was  nothing  comparable  to  it  at  any  other 
place  on  the  whole  journey.  This  large  expenditure 
on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  Cleveland,  to  prepare  a 
few  hours  resting  place  for  the  remains  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  on  their  way  to  the  tomb,  was  only  a  faint 
symbol  of  the  sacrifices  they  had  already  made,  and 
were  still  willing  to  make  in  support  of  the  principles 
for  which  he  was  assassinated. 

The  religious  services  were  conducted  by  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  He  read  a  part  of  the  funeral  service  of  that 
Church,  suitable  to  the  occasion.  After  the  religious 
services,  two  columns  of  spectators — one  on  each  side — 
began  filing  past  the  corpse,  and,  notwithstanding  it 
rained  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  about  eighty  per- 
sons per  minute  viewed  the  remains  of  President  Liu 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      171 

coin,  throughout  the  day.  At  intervals  the  coffin  was 
freshly  covered  with  flowers  by  the  ladies.  It  was  es- 
timated that  more  than  fifty  thousand  persons  viewed 
the  remains,  and  when  the  coffin  closed,  near  midnight, 
there  were  still  hundreds  in  line,  disappointed  in  their 
efforts  to  look  on  the  face  of  the  dead.  The  funeral 
party  being  the  guests  of  the  city,  were  quartered  at 
the  Weddell  House. 

While  the  funeral  party  were  in  Cleveland  they  were 
waited  upon  by  Charles  L.  Wilson,  editor  of  the  Chi- 
cago Journal,  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred  citizens,  appointed  by  the  City  Council  of 
Chicago,  "  to  proceed  to  Michigan  City  to  receive  the 
remains  of  President  Lincoln,  escort  them  to  Chicago, 
and  accompany  them  to  Springfield."  Mr.  Wilson 
tendered  the  hospitalities  of  the  city  to  the  funeral  es- 
cort when  they  should  arrive  in  Chicago,  and  stated 
that,  up  to  the  time  of  his  departure,  forty-one  organi- 
zations and  societies,  representing  twenty-five  thousand 
men,  had  reported  to  the  Chief  Marshal  their  intention 
to  form  part  of  the  procession. 

The  saloons  of  Cleveland  were  all  closed  during  the 
stay  of  the  funeral  party  in  that  city,  by  a  proclamation 
from  the  Mayor ;  and,  in  order  to  control  the  move- 
ments of  the  vast  multitude,  all  the  streets  leading  to 
the  Park  were  fenced  up  and  gates  placed  in  the  centre. 
They  were  guarded  by  military,  and  the  people  admit- 
ted no  faster  than  they  could  view  the  remains  and  pass 
out.  In  this  way,  all  crowding  about  the  temple  was 
avoided.  The  procession  began  re-forming  about  ten 
o'clock  p.  m.,  and  escorted  the  remains  to  the  depot. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 


At  midnight,  the  funeral  cortege  left  Cleveland,  to 
continue  its  westward  course.  Rain  continued  to  fall, 
but  that  did  not  abate  the  anxiety  of  the  people. 

Among  the  towns  worthy  of  special  mention,  on  ac- 
count of  their  costly  and  elaborate  demonstrations,  were 
Berea,  Olmstead,  Columbia,  Grafton,  Lagrange,  Wel- 
lington, Rochester,  New  London,  Greenwich,  Shiloh, 
Shelby  and  Crestline,  the  latter  place  being  reached  at 
seven  minutes  past  four  o'clock  a.  m.  At  all  these 
places  the  depots  were  draped  and  the  national  flag 
shrouded  in  mourning.  Mottoes  and  inscriptions  ex- 
pressive of  the  sorrow  of  the  people  were  everywhere 
visible.  Through  the  rain  and  darkness  they  came, 
bearing  lanterns  and  torches,  that  they  might  obtain  a 
passing  view  of  the  great  funeral  pageant.  Galion, 
Iberia  and  Gilead,  each  presented  the  same  appearance, 
and  the  train  arrived  at  Cardington  at  5:20  a.  m.,  Sat- 
urday, April  29.  The  largest  gathering  seen  after 
leaving  Cleveland,  were  collected  at  this  place,  about 
three  thousand  people  being  present.  The  depot  was 
handsomely  draped  with  mourning  flags.  Over  the 
doorway  was  an  inscription,  in  large  letters, 

"  He  sleeps  iu  the  blessings  of  the  poor,  whose  fetters  God  com- 
missioned him  to  break." 

The  train  arrived  and  departed  to  the  sound  of  min- 
ute guns  and  the  tolling  of  bells.  Ashley,  Eden,  Dela- 
ware, Berlin,  Lewisr  Centre,  Orange,  Westerville  and 
Worthington,  all  presented  the  same  appearance  of 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       173 

depots  draped  in  mourning,  with  mottoes,  inscriptions, 
and  increasing  crowds  of  people.  The  train  arrived  at 
Columbus,  Ohio,  at  7:30  a.  m.,  Saturday,  April  29. 
By  way  of  preparing  for  appropriately  honoring  the  re- 
mains of  the  late  Chief  Magistrate,  the  following  order 
had  been  promulgated  at  the  proper  time : 

}      GEN'L  H'DQ'RS,  STATE  OF  OHIO, 

General  Order,  No  5.  [•  ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 

\  COLUMBUS,  April  23,  1865. 

Major  John  W.  Skiles,  Eighty-eighth  O.  V.  I.,  is  hereby  ap- 
pointed Chief  Marshal  of  the  ceremonies  in  honor  of  the  remains 
of  the  late  President  Lincoln,  in  the  city  of  Columbus,  on  the 
twenty-ninth  inst.  He  will  appoint  his  own  aides,  and  will  have 
entire  control  of  the  ceremonies  and  procession  attending  the 
transfer  of  the  remains  from  and  to  the  depot.  All  societies,  dele- 
gations, or  other  organizations,  wishing  to  participate  in  the  cere- 
monies, will  report,  by  telegraph  or  letter,  to  the  Chief  Marshal 
on  or  before  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  of  Friday,  the  twenty-eighth  inst. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Chief  Marshal,  during  Thursday  and 
Friday,  twenty-seventh  and  twenty-eighth  inst.,  will  be  at  the 
Adjutant  General's  office,  in  the  Capitol. 

By  order  of  the  Governor : 

B.  R.  CO  WEN, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

Immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  train,  the  funeral 
party  were  taken  in  carriages,  the  carriages  moving 
three  abreast,  and  the  coffin  was  conveyed  to  a  mag- 
nificent hearse.  It  was  seventeen  feet  long,  eight  and 
a  half  feet  wide,  and  seventeen  and  a  half  feet  from 
the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  canopy.  The  floor  of  the 
hearse  was  four  feet  from  the  ground.  A  dais  was 
raised  two  and  a  half  feet  above  the  floor,  making  six 
and  a  half  feet  above  the  ground.  On  this  the  coffin 
rested,  where  it  was  sufficiently  elevated  for  all  to  see 
it.  The  canopy  was  formed  like  a  Chinese  pagoda. 
The  interior  of  the  canopy  was  lined  with  silk  flags, 


174  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORIEGE, 

and  the  outside  covered  with  black  broadcloth.  The 
dais,  main  floor,and  the  entire  hearse  was  covered  with 
black  cloth,  which  hung  in  festoons  from  the  main  plat- 
form to  within  a  few  inches  of  the  ground.  The  broad- 
cloth was  fringed  with  silver  lace  and  ornamented  with 
heavy  tassels  of  black  silk.  Surrounding  the  cornice 
were  thirty-six  silver  stars,  and  on  the  apex  and  the 
four  corners  were  heavy  black  plumes.  The  canopy 
was  curtained  with  black  cloth  and  lined  with  white 
merino.  On  each  side  of  the  dais  was  the  name 
"Lincoln,"  in  silver  letters.  The  hearse  was  drawn 
by  six  white  horses,  all  covered  with  black  cloth,  edged 
with  silver  fringe.  The  heads  of  the  horses  were  sur- 
mounted with  large  black  plumes,  and  each  was  led 
by  a  groom,  dressed  in  black,  with  white  gloves  and 
a  white  band  around  his  hat. 

The  flowers  of  Buffalo  and  Cleveland  were  still  on 
the  lid  of  the  coffin.  The  procession  was  by  far  the 
most  grand  and  imposing  of  any  that  had  ever  marched 
through  the  streets  of  the  capital  of  Ohio.  It  was 
composed  of  soldiers,  citizens  and  civic  societies,  not 
of  Columbus  only,  but  of  Cincinnati  and  other  cities 
and  towns  for  many  miles  around.  At  the  Soldiers' 
Hospital,  the  invalids  had  adorned  the  palings  in  front 
of  the  building  with  national  flags,  trimmed  with 
mourning,  and  displayed  other  evidences  of  sorrow. 

These  invalids,  made  so  in  the  service  of  their 
country,  gathered  flowers  and  branches,  principally 
lilac,  and  for  several  hundred  yards,  had  strewn  them 
on  each  side  of  the  street,  where  the  procession  was  to 
pass.  Many  of  the  soldiers  appeared  on  crutches. 

Amid  the  tolling  of  bells  and  the  booming  of  cannon, 
the  solemn  cortege  wended  its  way  to  the  State  Capi- 
tol. The  pillars  of  that  beautiful  white  edifice  were 
artisticially  draped  in  mourning,  and  flags  were  at  half- 
mast  on  each  side  of  the  dome.  Displayed  conspicu- 
ously, in  large  black  letters,  were  the  following  words : 
"  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all." 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       175' 

Arched  over  the  gate  leading  to  the  grounds,  were  the 
words,  "  Ohio  Mourns,"  and  over  the  entrance  to  the 
building,  "God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way."  The 
interior  of  the  capitol  was  draped  in  the  most  elabo- 
rate and  costly  style. 

The  coffin  was  conveyed  into  the  rotunda,  where  it 
was  deposited  on  a  mound  of  moss,  thickly  dotted 
with  the  choicest  of  flowers,  and  surrounded  by  ele- 
gant vases  of  rare  exotics.  The  walls  were  adorned 
with  Powell's  great  painting  of  Perry's  victory  on 
Lake  Erie ;  with  clusters  of  battle  flags,  torn  and  rid- 
dled with  bullets,  as  they  were  borne  by  Ohio  regi- 
ments in  suppressing  the  rebellion.  These  were  fes- 
tooned with  crape,  and  drooped  sadly  around  the 
spacious  rotunda.  As  soon  as  the  coffin  was  properly 
arranged,  the  spectators  began  to  pass  before  the  re- 
mains. 

Solemn  dirges  were  performed  at  intervals,  and  guns 
were  fired  during  the  day.  In  the  afternoon,  a  meet- 
ing was  held  at  the  east  side  of  the  capitol.  On  the 
stage  were  Major  Generals  Hooker  and  Hunter,  with 
the  clergy  of  the  city.  Rev.  Mr.  Goodwin  opened  the 
services  with  prayer.  The  Hon.  Job  E.  Stevenson 
then  addressed  the  vast  assemblage,  in  a  most  eloquent 
and  thrilling  oration.  He  was  listened  to  with  the 
most  profound  attention  from  beginning  to  end.  I 
can  only  give  a  very  brief  synopsis.  He  said : 

"  Ohio  mourns,  America  mourns,  the  civilized  world  will  mourn 
the  cruel  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  brave,  the  wise,  the 
good ;  bravest,  wisest,  best  of  men.  History  alone  can  measure 
and  weigh  his  worth,  but  we,  in  parting  from  his  mortal  remains, 
may  indulge  the  fullness  of  our  hearts,  in  a  few  broken  words, 
of  his  life,  his  death  and  his  fame. 

"  A  western  farmer's  son,  self-made,  in  early  manhood  he  won 
by  sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  the  public  confidence,  and 
was  entrusted  with  the  people's  power.  Growing  with  his  State, 
he  became  a  leader  in  the  west.  Elected  President,  he  disbelieved 


176  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

the  threats  of  traitors,  and  sought  to  serve  his  term  in  peace.  The 
clouds  of  civil  war  darkened  the  land.  The  President  pleaded 
and  prayed  for  peace,  '  long  declined  the  war,'  and  only  when  the 
storm  in  fury  burst  upon  the  flag,  did  he  arm  for  the  Union.  For 
four  years  the  war  raged,  and  the  President  was  tried  as  man  was 
never  tried  before.  Oh,  '  with  what  a  load  of  toil  and  care,'  has 
he  come;  with  steady,  steadfast  step,  through  the  valley  and  the 
shadow  of  defeat,  over  the  bright  mountain  of  victory,  up  to  the 
sun-lit  plain  of  peace ! 

"Tried  by  dire  disaster  at  Bull  Run,  where  volunteer  patriots 
met  veteran  traitors ;  at  Fredericksburg,  where  courage  contended 
with  nature;  at  Chancellorville,  that  desperate  venture;  in  the 
dismal  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  where  a  brave  army  was 
buried  in  vain ;  by  the  chronic  siege  of  Charleston,  the  mockery 
of  Richmond,  and  the  dangers  of  Washington — through  all  these 
trials  the  President  stood  firm,  trusting  in  God  and  the  people, 
while  the  people  trusted  in  God  and  in  him.  There  were  never 
braver  men  than  the  Union  volunteers ;  none  braver  ever  rallied 
in  Grecian  phalanx  or  Roman  legion ;  none  braver  ever  bent  the 
Saxon  bow,  or  bore  barbarian  battle  axe,  or  set  the  lance  in  rest ; 
none  braver  ever  followed  the  crescent  or  the  cross,  or  fought 
with  Napoleon,  or  Wellington,  or  Washington.  Yet  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  Union  army  and  navy  was  worthy  of  the 
man — filling  for  four  years  the  foremost  and  most  perilous  part 
unfaltering. 

"  Tried  by  good  fortune,  he  saw  soldiers  of  the  West  recover 
the  great  valley,  and  bring  back  to  the  Union  the  Father  of 
Waters,  and  all  his  beautiful  children.  He  saw  the  legions  of 
Lee  hurled  from  the  heights  of  Gettysburg.  He  saw  the  flag  of 
the  free  rise  on  Lookout  Mountain,  and  spread  from  river  to  sea, 
and  rest  over  Sumter.  He  saw  the  Star  Spangled  Banner,  bright- 
ened by  the  blaze  of  battle,  bloom  over  Richmond,  and  he  saw 
Lee  surrender.  Yet  he  remained  wise  and  modest,  giving  all  the 
glory  to  God  and  our  army  and  navy. 

"  Tried  by  civil  affairs  which  would  have  taxed  the  powers  and 
tested  the  virtues  of  Jefferson,  Hamilton  and  Washington,  he  ad- 
ministered them  so  wisely  and  well,  that  after  three  years  no  man 
was  found  to  take  his  place.  He  was  re-elected,  and  the  harvest 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       177 

of  success  came  in  so  gradually,  that  he  might  have  said,  '  Now, 
Lord,  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  Thy  salvation.'  Yet  he  was  free  from  weakness  or 
vanity.  Thus  did  he  exhibit,  on  occasion,  in  due  proportion  and 
harmonious  action,  those  cardinal  virtues,  the  trinity  of  true  great- 
ness— courage,  wisdom  and  goodness ;  goodness  to  love  the  right, 
wisdom  to  know  the  right,  and  courage  to  do  the  right.  Tried 
by  these  tests,  and  by  the  touchstone  of  success,  he  was  the  great- 
est of  living  men. 

"  But  why  multiply  words  of  his  greatness  ?  We  read  it  in  the 
nation's  eyes.  What  a  scene  do  we  witness!  Some  of  us  remem- 
ber when,  on  the  thirteenth  of  February,  1861,  four  years  and  two 
months  before  his  death,  the  President  was  here  on  his  way  to 
Washington,  and  spoke  in  the  State  House.  Then,  this  self-made 
man  was  untried,  and  his  friends,  and  he  himself,  questioned  his 
capacity  to  fill  the  responsible  position  to  which  he  was  chosen. 
He  spoke  with  misgivings,  but  placing  his  reliance  on  Providence, 
went  forward  reluctantly  to  the  chair ;  and  now,  after  four  short 
years,  he  returns,  borne  on  the  bosom  of  millions  of  men,  his  way 
watered  with  tears  and  strewn  with  flowers. 

"  He  stood  on  the  summit,  his  brow  bathed  in  the  beams  of  the 
rising  sun  of  peace,  singing  in  his  heart  the  angelic  song  of  'Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  toward  men.' 
'With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,'  he  had  forgiven 
the  people  of  the  South,  and  might  have  forgotten  their  leaders — 
covering  with  the  broad  mantle  of  his  charity  their  multitude  of 
sins.  But  he  is  slain — slain  by  slavery.  That  fiend  incarnate  did 
the  deed.  Beaten  in  battle,  the  leaders  sought  to  save  slavery  by 
assassination.  This  madness  presaged  their  destruction. 

"Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  personification  of  Mercy.  Andrew 
Johnson  is  the  personification  of  Justice.  They  have  murdered 
Mercy,  and  Justice  rules  alone,  and  the  people,  with  one  voice, 
pray  to  heaven  that  justice  may  be  done.  The  blood  of  thousands 
of  murdered  prisoners  cries  to  heaven.  The  shades  of  sixty-two 
thousand  starved  soldiers  rise  up  in  judgment  against  them.  The 
body  of  the  murdered  President  condems  them.  Some  deprecate 
vengeance.  There  is  no  room  for  vengeance  here.  Long  before  jus- 
tice can  have  done  Iwr  perfect  work,  tlie  material  will  be  exhausted  and 

12 


178  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

the  record  dosed.  Some  wonder  why  the  South  killed  her  best 
friend.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  true  friend  of  the  people  of  the 
South;  for  he  was  their  friend  as  Jesus  is  the  friend  of  sinners, 
ready  to  save  when  they  repent.  Ours  is  the  grief,  theirs  is  the 
loss,  and  his  is  the  gain.  He  died  for  Liberty  and  Union,  and 
now  he  wears  the  martyr's  glorious  crown.  He  is  our  crowned 
President.  While  the  Union  survives,  while  the  love  of  liberty 
warms  the  human  heart,  Abraham  Lincoln  will  hold  high  rank 
among  the  immortal  dead.  The  imperial  free  Republic,  the  best 
and  strongest  government  on  earth,  will  be  a  monument  to  his 
glory,  while  over  and  above  all  shall  rise  and  swell  the  great  dome 
of  his  fame." 

The  procession  of  the  morning  was  re-formed,  and 
escorted  the  remains  to  the  depot,  and  at  eight  o'clock 
p.  m.  the  funeral  train  resumed  its  course,  amid  the 
firing  of  guns  and  the  tolling  of  the  bells  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


At  Pleasant  Valley,  Unionville,  Milford,  "Wood- 
stock and  Cable,  the  depots  were  decorated  and  draped 
in  mourning,  and  bonfires  and  torches  enabled  the 
large  crowds  assembled  to  see  the  funeral  train.  At 
Woodstock  a  delegation  of  ladies  entered  the  hearse 
car  and  decorated  the  coffin  with  flowers,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  "Woodstock  band  played  a  solemn  piece 
of  music. 

Urbana,  Ohio,  10:30  p.  m.,  April  29.  Three  thous- 
and people  were  assembled,  and  a  large  bonfire  lighted 
up  the  scene.  Ten  young  ladies  entered  the  car  and 
strewed  flowers  on  the  bier,  some  of  them  weeping.  At 
the  same  time  a  choir  of  forty  male  and  female  voices 
sang,  "  Go  to  thy  Rest."  The  train  arrived  and  de- 
parted with  minute  guns  firing  and  bells  tolling. 

At  St.  Paris  and  Fletcher  bonfires  were  blazing  and 
the  people  were  standing  with  heads  uncovered  and  in 
silence  as  the  train  moved  along. 

Piqua,  Ohio,  12:20  a.  m.,  Sunday,  April  30.  Many 
thousands  of  people  were  assembled  at  the  depot,  which 
was  draped  in  mourning.  The  scene  was  lighted  up 
with  large  fires.  A  delegation  from  the  Methodist 
Church,  with  Rev.  Granville  Moody,  sang  a  funeral 
hymn.  Two  bands  also  discoursed  solemn  music. 

Covington,  Bradford  Junction  and  Gettysburg  were 
passed  in  quick  succession,  and,  notwithstanding  it  was 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  there  was  a  large  crowd  at 
each  place,  with  bonfires,  flags  and  mottoes. 

Greenville,  Ohio,  two  o'clock  a.  m.,  Sunday,  April 
30.  The  depot  was  tastefully  decorated,  and  the  scene 


180  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

lighted  up  by  two  large  bonfires.  Thirty-six  young 
ladies,  representing  the  States  of  the  Union,  were 
dressed  in  white,  each  waving  a  star-spangled  banner. 
A  requiem  was  sung  by  a  choir  of  ladies  aud  gentle- 
men. A  large  number  of  people  were  standing  at  the 
depot  at  New  Madison. 

New  Paris,  2:41,  Sunday  morning,  April  30.  The 
depot  was  artistically  draped  in  mourning.  An  arch 
spanned  the  track.  It  was  adorned  with  evergreens 
draped  in  mourning.  The  scene  was  lighted  up  by 
huge  bonfires.  This  was  the  last  town  on  that  line  of 
road  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Richmond,  Ind.,  3:10  a.  m.,  Sunday,  April  30.  This 
was  the  first  town  entered  in  the  State  of  Indiana.  The 
scene  here  was  imposing  and  magnificently  solemn. 
The  city  contains  about  twelve  thousand  inhabitants, 
but  there  were  more  than  that  number  present.  Ar- 
rangements were  effected  the  day  before  to  have  all  the 
bells  in  the  city  rang  an  hour  previous  to  the  expected 
arrival  of  the  funeral  cortege.  At  the  time  appointed 
they  pealed  forth  their  notes  on  the  still  night  air,  and 
soon  the  streets  were  filled  with  men  and  women,  old 
and  young,  all  wending  their  way  to  the  depot.  Broad- 
brimmed  hats  and  Quaker  bonnets  were  liberally 
sprinkled  among  the  vast  concourse — as  the  Friends 
are  more  numerous  here,  in  proportion  to  the  whole 
population,  than  they  are  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 
Nearly  the  whole  population  of  the  city  came  out,  and 
the  people  in  the  surrounding  country  lefl;  their  homes 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  came  many  miles  in 
wagons,  carriages,  and  on  horseback,  and  it  was  esti- 
mated that  between  twelve  and  fifteen  thousand  were 
present. 

As  the  train  approached  the  city  the  bells  on  the 
engines  of  the  Airline  railroad — a  cross  road — were 
tolling,  and  all  the  engines  were  lighted  up  with  revolv- 
ing lamps  and  tastefully  decorated  in  mourning.  A 
gorgeous  arch  was  constructed,  twenty-five  feet  high 


AND  T1IK  -NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.          181 

and  thirty  wide,  under  which  the  train  passed.  On 
both  sides  of  the  structure  American  flags  were  wrought 
into  triangles,  down  the  sides  of  which  were  suspended, 
at  equal  distances,  transparencies  of  red,  white,  and 
blue,  alternating  with  chaplets  of  evergreens,  which 
clambered  up  the  sides  of  the  triangles  and  centered  at 
the  summit  in  velvet  rosettes.  Across  the  structure,  at 
about  eighteen  feet  from  the  base  was  a  platform  car- 
peted with  black  velvet.  On  the  ends  of  this  platform 
were  two  flags  in  drooping  folds.  In  the  center  of  this 
upper  work  was  a  female  representing  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  She  was  in  a  sitting  posture,  weeping  over  a 
coffin.  On  one  side  was  a  boy-soldier  and  on  the  other 
a  boy-sailor,  both  acting  as  mourners.  Governor  Mor- 
ton and  suite,  with  other  prominent  gentlemen  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  State,  about  one  hundred  in  all, 
came  on  a  special  train  from  Indianapolis  and  joined 
the  funeral  party  at  Richmond.  After  a  brief  pause, 
the  train  moved  slowly  away,  and  the  multitude,  with 
sad  hearts,  dispersed  to  their  homes  in  silence. 

Centerville,  Ind.,  3:41  a.  m.  The  depot  was  splen- 
didly robed  in  mourning.  At  each  end  of  the  plat- 
form were  two  chandeliers,  brilliantly  lighted.  The 
people  were  anxious  for  the  train  to  tarry  longer,  but 
of  course  their  wishes  could  not  be  complied  with. 
Centerville  is  the  home  of  the  Hon.  George  W.  Julian, 
and  was  the  home  of  Hon.  O.  P.  Morton,  previous  to 
his  becoming  Governor  of  the  State. 

Germantown,  Ind.,  4:05  a.  m.  A  number  of  bril- 
liant bonfires  were  burning,  flags  draped  in  mourning, 
and  other  evidences  of  sorrow  exhibited. 

Cambridge  City,  Ind.,  4:15  a.  m.  As  the  funeral 
train  reached  this  place,  it  was  received  with  salvos  of 
artillery.  A  very  tasty  arch  spanned  the  railroad  track. 
It  was  beautifully  decorated  and  appropriately  draped 
in  mourning.  The  darkness  was  turned  into  a  solemn 
glare  by  the  burning  of  Bengal  lights,  and  as  the  red- 
dish blue  met  the  first  streaks  of  grey  on  the  eastern 


182  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

horizon,  the  effect  was  solemn  and  impressive.  It  was 
the  unanimous  verdict  of  those  who  traveled  all  the 
journey  with  the  train,  that  this,  and  the  display  at 
Richmond,  was  not  exclled  in  taste  and  appropriateness 
by  anything  that  had  been  witnessed.  There  was  a 
solemn  earnestness  depicted  on  the  countenance  of  the 
Indiana  patriots,  and  the  sentence  seemed  to  be  writ- 
ten as  if  in  "  burnished  rows  of  steel,"  that  though 
Lincoln  had  died,  the  republic  should  live. 

Dublin,  Ind.,  4:30  a.  m.,  Sunday,  April  30.  The 
platform  and  sides  of  the  track  were  lined  with  peo- 
ple whose  looks  and  actions  bespoke  their  deep  grief. 
A  neat  and  beautiful  arch,  entwined  with  evergreens 
and  mourning  emblems,  was  erected  for  the  train  to 
pass  under.  The  depot  was  artistically  draped,  and  on 
the  right  was  a  large  flag.  In  a  conspicuous  place  there 
was  a  portrait  of  the  martyred  President  entwined  with 
evergreens  and  roses.  Dublin  is  a  town  of  about  fif- 
teen hundred  inhabitants,  and  was  the  last  station 
passed  in  Wayne  county,  which  has  been  largely  under 
Quaker  influence  from  its  first  settlements,  and,  although 
you  would  see  but  little  of  the  outward  sign  of  that 
peculiar  people,  their  principles  are  nowhere  more  de- 
cidedly felt  than  at  this  place.  There  has  never  been 
a  whisky-shop  in  the  town,  and  it  is  a  remarkable  co- 
incidence that  for  many  years  the  Republican  ticket 
has  been  voted  unanimously — not  a  single  one  on  the 
other  side.  I  well  remember  the  amusement  created 
at  Richmond,  in  the  same  county,  on  the  evening  of 
the  Presidential  election,  in  1864.  As  the  reports  came 
in  by  telegraph  they  were  posted  on  an  illuminated 
bulletin.  Among  the  earliest  was, 

Dublin,  For  Lincoln,  269 

"  For  McClellan,  0 

Majority  for  Lincoln,  269 

At  Lewisville,  Rayville,  Knightstown,  Charlottes- 
ville,  Greenfield,  Philadelphia  and  Cumberland,  mourn- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      183 

ing  emblems  and  other  demonstrations  of  sorrow  were 
everywhere  visible. 

Indianapolis,  seven  o'clock,  a.  m.,  Sunday,  April 
30,  1865.  The  funeral  cortege  arrived  at  this  hour 
with  all  that  was  mortal  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The 
avenues  leading  to  the  depot  were  closely  packed 
with  people.  The  military  organizations  were  in  line 
from  the  depot  to  the  State  House.  The  corpse  was 
taken  in  charge  by  a  local  guard  of  soldiers,  and  con- 
veyed to  a  very  large  and  magnificent  hearse,  prepared 
especially  for  the  occasion.  It  was  drawn  by  eight 
white  horses,  six  of  them  having  been  attached  to  the 
carriage  in  which  the  President  elect  rode,  on  his  way 
to  Washington,  four  years  before.  By  the  time  the 
procession  was  ready  to  move,  rain  commenced  falling. 
The  arrival  of  the  train  was  announced  by  the  firing 
of  artillery  and  tolling  of  bells  throughout  the  city, 
and  this  continued  until  the  hearse  arrived  at  the  State 
House.  The  body  was  conveyed  to  the  interior  of  the 
building,  and  soon  after  exposed  to  view. 

The  Sabbath  school  children  were  first  admitted,  and 
then  ladies  and  citizens  generally  passed  through  the 
Capitol  and  viewed  the  remains.  At  many  of  the 
streets  intended  to  be  crossed  by  the  procession  were 
triple  arches,  adorned  with  evergreens  and  national 
flags.  Great  preparations  had  been  made  in  draping 
the  city  in  mourning.  It  included  public  buildings, 
business  houses  and  private  residences  of  all  classes. 
The  threatening  rain  deterred  many  from  ornamenting 
their  buildings  who  would  otherwise  have  done  so,  and 
the  torrents  of  water  sadly  marred  what  had  been  done. 

The  rain  prevented  many  of  the  organizations  from 
turning  out  that  had  provided  themselves  with  banners 
bearing  appropriate  inscriptions.  The  colored  Masons, 
in  their  appropriate  clothing,  and  colored  citizens  gen- 
erally turned  out  in  procersion  and  visited  the  remains 
in  a  body.  At  the  head  of  their  procession  they  car- 
ried the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  At  intervals 


184  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

banners  were  seen  bearing,  among  others,  the  following 
inscriptions : 

"  Colored  men  always  Loyal." 


"  Lincoln,  Martyr  of  Liberty." 


"  He  lives  in  our  memories.' 


"  Slavery  is  Dead ! " 


The  City  Councils  of  Cincinnati,  Louisville  and 
Covington,  with  Governor  Bramlette  and  many  other 
distinguished  personages  from  Kentucky,  and  from 
nearly  all  the  towns  and  cities  of  Indiana,  were  in  In- 
dianapolis, to  take  part  in  a  grand  military  and  civic 
demonstration.  It  was  expected  that  the  procession 
would  march  early  in  the  day,  and  that  Governor  Mor- 
ton would  deliver  a  funeral  oration  at  the  Capitol  in 
the  afternoon.  Every  railroad  train  for  the  previous 
twenty-four  hours  brought  in  its  thousands,  but  the 
incessant  rain  prevented  the  programme  from  being 
carried  out.  All  that  could  be  done  was  to  pay  their 
silent  respects  to  the  remains.  A  constant  stream  of 
spectators  continued  to  file  past  the  coffin  until  near 
midnight,  when  it  was  escorted  back  to  the  depot,  and, 
like  the  star  of  empire,  continued  its  westward  course. 

A  time  table  was  prepared,  and  rules  and  regulations 
adopted,  at  Indianapolis,  for  running  the  train  from 
that  city  to  Chicago.  The  paper  was  signed  by  an 
officer  of  each  of  the  three  roads  over  which  the  train 
was  to  pass — the  Indianapolis  &  Lafayette,  the  Louis- 
ville, New  Albany  &  Chicago,  from  Lafayette  to  Michi- 
gan City,  and  the  Michigan  Central  from  Michigan 
City  to  Chicago.  As  a  sample  of  the  way  the  train 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        185 

was  run  during  the  whole  journey,  I  omit  the  time 
table,  but  insert  here  the 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

1.  The  figures  in  Table  represent  the  time  upon  which  the  Pi 
lot  Engine  is  to  be  run,  and  the  funeral  train  will  follow,  leaving 
each  station  ten  minutes  behind  the  figures  of  this  table. 

2.  The  funeral  train  will  pass  stations  at  a  speed  not  exceeding 
five  miles  an  hour,  the  euginemau  tolling  his  bell  as  the  train  passes 
through  the  station  and  town. 

3.  Telegraph  offices  upon  the  entire  route  will  be  kept  open 
during  the  passage  of  the  funeral  train,  and  as  soon  as  the  train 
has  passed  a  station  the  operator  witt  at  once  give  notice  to  that  ef- 
fect to  the  next  telegraph  station. 

4.  The  pilot  engine  will  pass  no  telegraph  station  without  first 
getting  information  of  funeral  train  having  paseed  the  last  pre- 
ceding telegraph  station,  coming  to  a  full  stop  for  that  informa- 
tion, if  necessary. 

5.  Upon  the  entire  route  a  safety  signal  will  be  shown  at  each 
switch  and  bridge,  and  at  entrance  upon  each  curve,  indicating 
that  att  is  safe  for  the  passage  of  pilot  and  train — each  man  in 
charge  of  a  signal  knowing  personally  such  to  be  the  case,  so  far 
as  his  foresight  can  provide  for  it.    The  signal  from  Indianapolis, 
until  reaching  broad  daylight,  to  be  a  white  ligld,  and  from  that  point 
to  Chicago,  a  white  flag,  draped. 

6.  The  engineman  in  charge  of  pilot  engine  will  carry  two  red 
lights  in  the  night,  and  an  American  flag,  draped,  during  daylight, 
indicating  that  a  train  is  following,  and  will  also  provide  them- 
selves with  red  lights,  flags  and  extra  men,,togive  immediate  notice 
to  the  funeral  train,  in  case  of  meeting  with  anything  on  the  route 
causing  delay  or  detention. 

7.  The  enginemeu  in  charge  of  the  funeral  train  will  keep  a 
sharp  lookout  for  the  pilot  engine  and  its  signals. 

8.  The  pilot  and  funeral  train  will  have  entire  right  to  the  line 
during  its  passage,  and  all  engines  and  trains  of  every  description 
will  be  kept  out  of  the  way. 

9.  Each  road  forming  the  route  will  run  its  train  upon  its  own 
standard  time. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


Notwithstanding  the  train  departed  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  from  Indianapolis,  formidable  demonstra- 
tions were  made  at  Augusta,  Zionsville,  Whitestown, 
Lebanon,  Hazelrigg,  Thorntown,  Colfax,  Stockwell 
and  many  other  points.  The  depots  were  draped  in 
mourning  and  other  insignia  of  sorrow  were  visible,  in 
the  light  of  bonfires  and  torches  ;  but  the  people  were 
assembled  in  large  numbers  at  every  point,  to  witness 
the  great  funeral  train. 

Arrived  at  Lafayette  at  three  o'clock  and  thirty-five 
minutes,  Monday  morning,  May  1.  It  was  known 
that  the  train  would  stop  at  this  place  but  a  few  min- 
utes, but  it  appeared  to  those  on  board  as  if  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  from  many  miles  of  the 
surrounding  country,  were  there.  The  depot  was  draped 
in  mourning,  and  the  surrounding  scene  well  lighted. 
The  bells  of  the  city  were  tolled,  and  other  manifesta- 
tions of  sorrow  were  visible. 

From  Lafayette,  the  stations  of  Tippecanoe  Battle 
Ground,  Brookston,  Chalmers,  Reynolds,  Bradford, 
Francisville,  Medaryville,  Kankakee,  LaCrosse,  Wana- 
tah,  Westville,  Lacroix  and  many  other  towns,  the 
depots  were  draped,  and  the  people  in  many  ways 
demonstrated  their  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  our  Chief 
Magistrate. 

Michigan  City,  Indiana,  eight  o'clock  a.  m.,  May  1. 
A  bountiful  breakfast  was  prepared  for  the  entire  fu- 
neral party,  in  the  main  station  house.  Thirty-six 
young  ladies,  representing  the  States  of  the  Union, 
and  one  representing  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  appeared 


THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT,       187 

in  appropriate  costumes,  and  with  a  large  number  of 
other  ladies,  appropriated  the  time  assigned  to  the  fu- 
neral party  for  breakfast,  in  passing  through  the  hearse 
car  to  look  on  the  coffin  containing  the  remains  of  the 
martyred  President. 

The  funeral  train  approached  the  depot  under  a 
large  triple  arch,  which  was  surmounted  by  a  tall  flag- 
staff, bearing  the  national  colors  trimmed  with  mourn- 
ing, at  half-mast.  Portraits  of  the  illustrious  deceased 
were  suspended  from  the  centre  of  each  arch,  wreathed 
in  evergreens,  and  surrounded  by  draped  flags  and 
other  insignia  of  sorrow.  Among  the  mottoes  dis- 
played, were  the  following : 

"Noblest  martyr  to  Freedom;  sacred  thy  dust;   hallowed  thy 
resting  place." 


"  With  tears  we  resign  thee  to  God  and  History.' 


"  The  purposes  of  the  Almighty  are  perfect,  and  must  prevail." 


"  Our  guiding  star  has  fallen ;  our  nation  mourns." 

Here  the  funeral  escort  were  joined  by  the  Hon. 
Schuyler  Colfax  and  friends,  and  the  citizen's  com- 
mittee of  one  hundred,  who  came  out  from  Chicago  on 
a  special  train.  After  all  had  partaken  of  breakfast, 
the  train  started  for  Chicago,  at  8:35  a.  m.,  over  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad. 

Arrived  at  Chicago  at  11  o'clock  a.  m.,  Monday, 
May  1.  The  train  did  not  run  to  the  Union  depot, 
but  stopped  a  little  more  than  one  mile  south,  where  a 
temporary  platform  had  been  prepared,  opposite  Park 
Place,  a  short  street  running  from  the  lake  shore  one 
square  west,  to  Michigan  avenue.  Park  Place  is  one 
square  north  of  Twelfth  street,  and  is  between  that 
street  and  Lake  Park. 


188  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Across  the  foot  of  Park  Place  a  magnificent  Funeral 
Arch  had  been  erected.  It  was  built  of  wood,  in  the 
Gothic  style  of  architecture,  and  consisted  of  a  central 
arch  thirty  feet  high  in  the  clear,  and  twenty-four  feet 
wide,  and  two  side  arches,  each  eight  feet  wide  in  the 
clear,  and  twenty  feet  high.  The  three  arches  and 
their  abutments,  or  columns,  made  a  total  width  of  fifty- 
one  feet.  The  total  height  of  the  central  arch  and 
turrets  was  about  forty  feet. 

This  grand  triple  arch  had  two  fronts,  one  east,  the 
other  west.  Fifty  American  flags,  with  mourning 
drapery  interwoven,  were  used  in  decorating  the  arches. 
Busts  and  portraits  of  Lincoln  were  placed  conspicu- 
ously upon  the  arches.  Two  figures  of  an  American 
eagle  were  placed  near  the  apex  of  the  central  arch — 
that  on  the  east  front  folding  its  wings,  as  if  at  rest, 
and  the  one  on  the  west  with  wings  extended,  as  if  in 
the  act  of  taking  flight.  All  three  of  the  arches  had 
inscriptions  on  each  front.  Those  on  the  east  or  lake 
side  were  : 

"  Our  Union ;  cemented  in  patriot  blood  shall  stand  forever." 
"  An  honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God." 


"  The  poor  man's  champion ;  the  people  mourn  him. ' 
On  the  west  front : 

"  We  honor  him  dead,  who  honored  us  while  living." 


"  Kest  in  peace  noble  soul,  patriot  heart." 


"Faithful  to  right,  a  martyr  to  justice." 
Beneath  the  central  arch  was  a  platform  or  dais. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        189 

The  dais  was  covered  with  black  velvet,  ornamented 
with  silver  fringe,  and  fastened  with  silver  stars.  Black 
velvet  hung  in  festoons  on  all  sides,  reaching  nearly 
to  the  ground.  It  was  sufficiently  elevated  for  those 
at  a  distance  to  view  it  over  the  heads  of  the  surround- 
ing multitude.  The  area  around  the  dais  was  large 
enough  to  afford  standing  room  for  many  thousands. 
This  area  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  long  before 
the  hour  of  the  expected  arrival. 

When  the  funeral  train  arrived  at  Park  Place,  a  sig- 
nal gun  was  fired,  and  the  tolling  of  the  bell  on  the 
Court  House  announced  the  news  to  the  citizens,  but 
there  were  already  thousands  and  thousands  of  people 
congregated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  funeral  arch.  The 
vast  multitude  stood  in  profound  silence,  and  rever- 
ently uncovered  their  heads  as  the  coffin  was  borne  to 
the  dais  beneath  the  grand  arch,  while  the  great  West- 
ern Light  Guard  Band  performed  the  Lincoln  Re- 
quiem, composed  for  .the  occasion.  Thirty-six  young 
lady  pupils  of  the  High  School,  dressed  in  white  and 
banded  with  crape,  then  walked  around  the  bier  and 
each  deposited  an  immortelle  on  the  coffin  as  she 
passed.  The  coffin  was  then  placed  in  the  funeral  car 
or  hearse,  prepared  expressly  for  the  occasion,  and  the 
funeral  cortege  passed  out  of  Park  Place  into  Michigan 
avenue,  and  fell  into  procession  in  something  like  the 
following  order : 

Police. 

Band  of  music  playing  the  Lincoln  Requiem. 
Chief  Marshal  Col.  R.  M.  Hough  and  Major   General  Joseph 

Hooker. 
Assistant  Marshal  Col.  J.   L.   Hancock,   and  Superintendent  of 

Police,  William  Turtle. 

Major  General  Alfred  Sully  and  staff.  / 

Brigadier  General  N.  B.  Buford  and  staff. 
Brigadier  General  J.  B.  Sweet  and  staff;  and 
Military  Band. 


190  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Eighth  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  Lieut.  Col.  Skinner,  and   four 
hundred  men,  with  arms  reversed,  and  in  mourning. 

Military  Band. 

Fifteenth  Regiment  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  Lieut   Col.  Martin 
Flood  commanding,  with  four  hundred  men,  arms 
reversed  and  in  mourning. 

PALL  BEAKERS.         ^        PALL  BEAHEES. 

Hon.  Lyman  Trumbull,  j^     Hon.  Thomas  Drurnmond, 

Hon.  John  Wentworth,  S     Lt.  Gov.  William  Bross, 

rO 

Hon.  F.  C.  Sherman,  f>  Hon.  J.  B.  Rice, 

Hon.  E.  C.  Lamed,  Hon.  S.  W.  Fuller, 

Hon.  F.  A.  Hoffman,  £  Hon-  T-  B-  Bryan, 

Hon.  J.  R.  Jones,  &  Hon.  J.  Young  Scarnrnon. 

Military  Escort. 

Capt.  James  McComly,  of  the  9th  Veteran  Reserve  Corps ;  First 
Lieutenant  J.  R.  Durkee,  7th  U.  S.  I. ;  Second  Lieutenant  E. 
Murphy,  10th  U.  S.  I. ;  and  twenty -five  sergeants  of  the  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps. 

Guard  of  Honor, 

Consisting  of  the  general  officers  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  accompany  the  remains  from  Washington  to  Springfield, 
Illinois. 

Two  carriages  contained  the  relatives  and  family  friends.  In 
the  first,  rode  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley,  pastor,  and  Niniau  W.  Ed- 
wards and  C.  M.  Smith,  the  two  latter  brothers-in-law  of  the  Presi- 
dent. In  the  second,  rode  Judge  David  Davis,  of  the  U.  S.  Su 
preme  Court ;  General  W.  W.  Orme,  and  W.  H.  Hanna,  Esq. 
Illinois  Delegation. 

Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Hon.  Shelby  M. 
Cullom,  Hon.  D.  L.  Phillips,  W.  H.  Hanna,  Adjutant  General 
Isham  N.  Haynie,  Col.  James  H.  Bowen,  E.  F.  Leonard,  Dr.  S. 
H.  Melvin,  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch,  Col.  John  Williams. 
Congressional  Committee. 

Senator  Nye,  of  Nevada;  Senator  Williams,  of  Oregon;  Sena- 
tor H.  S.  Lane,  of  Indiana;  Senator  J.  H.  Lane,  of  Kansas;  Sena- 
tors Howe  and  Doolittle,  of  Wisconsin;  and  George  T.  Brown, 
Sergeaut-at-Arms  of  the  U.  S.  Senate.  Hon.  Schuykr  Colfax, 
Speaker  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives ;  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburn, 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        391 

Hon.  B.  C.  Cook,  Hon.  J.  O.  Norton,  the  three  latter  from^ Illinois ; 
Hon.  J.  K.  Morehead  and  Hon.  Joseph  Bailey,  of  Pennsylvania; 
Hon.  J.  C.  Sloan,  of  Wisconsin ;  Hon.  J.  F.  Wilson,  of  Iowa ; 
Hon.  J.  H.  Farquhar,  of  Indiana;  Hon.  Sydney  Clarke,  of  Kan- 
sas; Hon.  Thomas  B.  Shannon,  of  California;  Hon.  Charles  E. 
Phelps,  of  Maryland;  Hon.  Samuel  Hooper,  of  Massachusetts; 
Hon.  T.  W.  Ferry,  of  Michigan ;  Hon.  W.  A.  Newell,  of  New 
Jersey ;  Hon.  N.  G.  Ordway,  Sergeaut-at-Arms  U.  8.  House  of 
Representatives. 

Gov.  O.  P.  Morton  and  staff,  of  Indiana ;  Governor  W.  H.  Wal- 
lace, of  Idaho  Territory ;  and  Gov.  William  Pickering,  of  Wash- 
ington Territory. 

Representatives  of  the  Press. 

L.  A.  Gobright,  of  Washington  City,  and  C.  R.  Morgan,  both  of 
the  Associated  Press ;  Dr.  Adonis,  of  the  Chicago  Tribune;  C.  H. 
Page,  of  the  New  York  Tribune;  U.  H.  Painter,  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Inquirer;  and  G.  B.  Woods,  of  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

Committee  of  One  Hundred, 

Appointed  by  the  City  Council  of  Chicago,  "  to  proceed  to  Michi- 
gan City,  to  receive  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln,  escort 
them  to  Chicago,  and  accompany  them  to  Springfield."  The  fol- 
lowing catalogue  contains  the  names  of  all  the  members  of  the 
committee : 

Ex-Mayors  B.  W.  Raymond,  J.  L.  Milliken,  James  H.  Wood- 
worth,  J.  S.  Rumsey,  Charles  M.  Gray,  John  C.  Haines,  Alexander 
Lloyd,  and  A.  S.  Sherman ;  Charles  Randolph,  N.  K.  Fairbanks, 
J.  S.  Browuson,  John  C.  Dore,  John  F.  Beatty,  Stephen  Clary, 
C.  J.  Wheeler,  J.  Maple,  S.  S.  Hayes,  Maucel  Talcott,  N.  W. 
Huntley,  Aaron  Gibbs,  Judge  J.  B.  Bradwell,  Judge  E.  S.  Wil- 
liams, Judge  E.  Van  Buren,  H.  T.  Dickey,  John  Kinzie,  H.  D.  Col- 
vin,  Thomas  Hoyne,  Elliot  Anthony*,  Ira  Y.  Munn,  O.  S.  Hough, 
Chas.  H.  Walker,  D.  R.  Holt,  W.  D.  Houghtelling,  G.  S.  Hubbard, 
R.  MoChesney,  Samuel  Howe,  I.  Lawson,  B.  E.  Gallup,  J.  K.  Bots- 
ford,  A.  B.  Johnson,  Judge  Jos.  E.  Geary,  J.  M.  Watson,  Judge  Van 
H.  Higgins,  W.  B.  Brown,  Mark  Skinner,  John  Alston,  S.  P.  A. 
Healey,  James  H.  G-oodsell,  George  M.  Kimbark,  Wrn.  Wayman, 
E.  H.  Sargent,  C.  G.  Hammond,  George  C.  Bates,  Samuel  Hoard, 
Peter  Page,  W.  H.  Bradley,  L.  P.  Hilliard,  Dr.  William  Wagner, 
J.  S.  Grindell,  George  Anderson,  U.  P.  Harris,  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney, 


192  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

J.  L.  Marsh,  J.  H.  McVicker,  W.  F.  Tucker,  Dr.  J.  P.  Lynn,  J.  H. 
Buruham,  James  Nulten,  B.  J.  Patrick,  Dr.  D.  Brainard,  Matthew 
Laflin,  John  B.  Turner,  S.  B.  Cobb,  W.  W.  Boyington,  Isaac  Speer, 
James  W.  Sheahan,  Robert  Hervey,  M.  L.  Sykes,  John  B.  Drake, 
John  L.  Wilson,  Luther  Haven,  George  Schneider,  W.  L.  Church, 
John  A.  Wilson,  Jacob  Rehm,  H.  W.  Bigelow,  A.  H.  Blackall, 
Charles  L.  Wilson,  Joseph  Meclill,  A.  C.  Hesing,  J.  H.  Field, 
E.  W.  Blatchford,  T.  S.  Blackstone,  Gen.  Julius  White,  Capt. 
James  Smith,  J.  V.  Farwell,  Robert  H.  Foss,  L.  Brentano,  Win. 
James,  James  Long,  S.  A.  Goodwin,  J.  M.  Van  Osdel,  M.  W. 
Fuller. 

Charles  L.  Wilson  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred,  and  Col.  James  H.  Bowen  and  TJ.  P.  Harris,  Marshals. 

Next  came  the  Wisconsin  Delegation,  consisting  of  Gov.  Lewis 
and  other  State  officers,  the  Mayor  and  Couucilmeu  of  the  city 
of  Madison,  and  several  hundred  citizens. 

After  the  Wisconsin  Delegation,  came  a  body  of  about  fifty 
clergymen — all  the  principal  denominations  being  represented. 

The  remainder  of  the  procession  was  separated  into 
five  grand  divisions,  each  under  a  marshal,  with  a  staff 
or  corps  of  aids.  The  §  procession  was  made  up  of  soci- 
eties of  almost  every  kind  known  to  the  country. 
Military  organizations  innumerable ;  Board  of  Trade  ; 
Mercantile  Association ;  about  one  thousand  Free 
Masons,  and  as  many  Odd  Fellows,  appeared  in  the 
line.  Then  there  were  Union  Leagues,  Fenian  Soci- 
eties, and  many  Roman  Catholic  Societies,  Hebrew 
Societies,  Trades  Societies  and  Unions,  students  of 
Chicago  University,  Druids  and  societies  belonging  to 
citizens  from  European  countries,  such  as  the  Holland 
and  Belgian  Society,  French  Benevolent  Society,  Ger- 
man Societies  in  large  numbers,  Scandinavian,  Bohe- 
mian, Irish,  English  and  others.  About  four  hundred 
colored  citizens  bearing  the  mottoes : 

"  We  mourn  our  loss," 


1  Rest  in  peace,  with  a  nation's  tears." 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       193 

The  Chicago  Fire  Department  brought  up  the  rear. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  of  the  military  who 
took  part  in  the  funeral  honors,  there  was  a  full  regi- 
ment of  infantry,  which  was  composed  of  men  who 
had  been  in  the  rebel  army,  and,  after  taking  the  oath 
of  allegiance,  at  the  several  prison  camps,  were  re- 
cruited into  the  government  service. 

To  attempt  a  detailed  description  of  the  procession 
would  only  result  in  failure.  It  was  a  wilderness  of 
banners  and  flags,  with  their  mottoes  and  inscriptions. 
The  estimated  number  of  persons  in  line  was  thirty- 
seven  thousand,  and  there  were  three  times  as  many 
more  who  witnessed  the  procession  by  crowding  into 
the  streets  bordering  on  the  line  of  march,  making 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  who  were  on  the 
streets  of  Chicago  that  day,  to  add  their  tribute  of  re- 
spect to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  line  of  march  was  from  the  Lake  shore,  at  the 
foot  of  Park  Row,  or  Park  Place,  west  on  that  street 
to  Michigan  avenue,  thence  north  on  Michigan  avenue 
to  Lake  street,  west  on  Lake  to  Clark  street,  south  on 
Clark  to  the  east  gate  of  the  Court  House  square, 
and  inside  the  square  to  the  south  door  of  the  Court 
House.  The  remains  reached  the  Court  House  at  a 
quarter  before  one  o'clock,  passing  in  under  the  in- 
scription : 

"  Illinois  clasps  to  her  bosom  her  slain  and  glorified  son." 
Over  the  north  door  was  inscribed : 

"  The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain  upon  her  high  places." 

A  gorgeous  catafalque  had  been  erected  in  the  centre 
of  the  rotunda,  directly  beneath  the  dome.  The  coffin 
was  placed  on  the  platform  or  dais  within  the  cata- 
falque, and  the  entire  procession  passed  through  the 
rotunda  in  the  order  observed  in  marching  through 
the  streets.  This  was  done  before  the  coffin  was 
13 


194  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

opened.  The  embalmers  and  assistants  spent  a  short 
time  in  preparing  the  remains,  and  the  people  were  ad- 
mitted. By  midnight,  it  was  estimated  that  forty 
thousand  people  passed  through  the  Court  House  and 
looked  upon  the  face  of  the  dead  President. 

Whilst  the  people  are  filing  past  the  remains,  we  will 
leave  them  and  go  back  to  review  the  route  of  the  pro- 
cession from  its  starting  point  to  the  Court  House. 
The  whole  distance  was  guarded  on  either  side  by 
strong  ropes,  stretched  along  near  the  outer  edge  of 
the  side  walks.  The  streets  were  occupied  entirely  by 
the  procession,  and  the  side  walks  by  spectators.  The 
grand  triple  arch,  with  its  inscriptions  and  mourning 
decorations,  has  been  described.  The  residences  and 
business  houses,  on  either  side  of  the  streets  along 
which  the  cortege  moved,  were  among  the  finest  build- 
ings of  their  kind  in  the  world,  and  their  owners  had 
been  lavish  in  the  expenditure  of  money  in  draping 
them  with  mourning  insignia  and  otherwise  decorating 
them.  Language  would  utterly  fail  to  describe  this 
part  of  the  scene,  and  I  shall  content  myself  by  quoting 
a  small  number  of  the  hundreds  of*mottoes  displayed 
and  in  describing  some  of  these  houses. 

".Mournfully,  tenderly,  bear  on  the  dead." 


"  Our  Country's  Martyr." 

The  mansion  of  Lieutenant  Governor  Bross  was 
beautifully  draped  with  black  and  white  crape,  inter- 
woven with  the  national  colors. 

The  mansion  of  Hon.  J.  Y.  Scammon  bore  on  its 
front  a  bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  surrounded  with 
wreaths  of  immortelles,  and  surmounted  on  the  back 
ground  by  a  cherub.  The  anchor  of  Hope  was  beauti- 
fully arranged  among  the  mourning  drapery. 

On  another  house  was  displayed  the  motto : 

"  We  mourn  our  beloved  President." 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       195 

The  residence  of  Bishop  Duggan,  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  displayed  the  national  flags  of  Ireland 
and  America  intertwined. 

Other  houses  bore  such  inscriptions  as  the  following : 

"  In  sorrowing  grief,  the  nation's  tears  are  spent, 
Humanity  has  lost  a  friend,  and  we  a  President." 


"  Bear  him  gently  to  his  rest" 

Beneath  a  marble  bust  of  the  President,  surrounded 
'    by  thirty-six  golden  stars,  was  inscribed : 

"  We  loved  him  much,  but  now  we  love  him  more." 
One  of  the  banners  bore  the  inscription : 
"  Ours  the  cross — Thine  the  crown." 
On  a  banner  hanging  over  a  bust  of  Lincoln  was : 

"  Freedom's  noblest  sacrifice." 
At  the  Soldiers'  Rest,  this  quotation  was  displayed : 

"  EMANCIPATION   PROCLAMATION." 

"  Upon  this  act,  I  invoke  the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind, 
and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God." 

And  there  were  many  others,  such  as : 

"  To  Union  may  our  heartfelt  call 
And  brotherly  love  attune  us  all." 


"  Nations  swell  thy  funeral  cry." 


"  Young,  old,  high  and  low, 
The  same  devotion  show." 


196  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

"  And  over  the  coffin  man  planteth  hope." 


"  Though  dead,  he  yet  speaketh." 


"  He  won  the  wreath  of  fame, 
And  wrote  on  Memory's  scroll  a  deathless  name. 


"  Look  how  honor  glorifies  the  dead." 


1  Know  ye  not  that  a  great  man  has  fallen  this  day  in  Israel." 


"  The  great  Emancipator." 


"  He  left  us  sustained  by  our  prayers, 
He  returns  embalmed  in  our  tears." 

I  might  continue  these  quotations  almost  indefinitely, 
but  I  have  given  enough  to  indicate  the  spirit  that  per- 
vaded all  hearts.  Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars  were  expended  in  decorating  the  buildings  with 
mourning  drapery.  The  triple  arch  was  designed,  con- 
structed and  decorated  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  well  known  architect,  W.  W.  Boyington.  The 
decorations  at  the  Court  House  were  designed  and 
executed  under  the  superintendence  of  the  other  equally 
well  known  architect,  J.  M.  Van  Osdel.  The  cata- 
falque was  equal  in  design,  execution  and  costliness  of 
material,  to  any  that  have  been  described.  To  attempt 
a  minute  description  would  only  bewilder  the  under- 
standing. 

Solemn  music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  was  per- 
formed at  intervals  during  the  entire  night.  At  mid- 
night, several  hundred  German  voices  chanted  a  re- 
quiem in  the  rotunda  with  thrilling  effect.  Brigadier 
General  Sweet  appointed  a  guard  of  honor  from  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       197 

Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  to  relieve  those  who  had  acted 
in  that  capacity  from  Washington.  Their  services 
were  not  required,  for  the  reason  that  fifty  Illinois  offi- 
cers, formerly  serving  in  the  army  and  navy,  had 
already  tendered  their  services,  through  Gen.  Julius 
White,  to  act  as  Guard  of  Honor  to  the  remains  while 
in  Chicago,  and  had  been  accepted  by  Gen.  Townsend. 
They  were  appointed  as  follows  : 

First  relief,  Col.  Edward  Daniels  ;  second  relief,  Col. 
Hasbrouck  Davis ;  third  relief,  Lieut.  Col.  Arthur  C. 
Ducat ;  fourth  relief,  Capt.  R.  L.  Law,  U.  S.  N. 

Each  officer  of  relief  had  nine  officers  under  him, 
who,  for  the  time,  acted  as  Guard  of  Honor.  The 
following  was  the  full  guard  : 

Col.  Hasbrouck  Davis,  Col.  Edward  Daniels,  Lieut.  Col.  Arthur 
C.  Ducat,  Capt.  R.  L.  Law,  U.  S.  N. ;  Lieut.  Col.  T.  W.  Grosvenor, 
Lieut.  Col.  S.  McClevy,  Maj.  M.  Thieman,  Maj.  John  McCarthy, 
Maj.  J.  B.  Kimball,  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S.  N. ;  Maj.  Walter  B. 
Scates,  Maj.  Charles  Ehoon,  Brev.  Maj.  L.  Bridges;  Captains  W.  S. 
Swayne,  James  Dugane,  F.  Busse,  Edward  Went,  Z.  B.  Greenleaf, 
Henry  Konkle,  John  McAssen,  Samuel  A.  Love,  G.  W.  Hills, 
H.  8.  Goodspeed,  R.  N.  Hayden,  J.  M.  Leish,  B.  A.  Busse,  P.  H. 
Adolph,  J.  G.  Langgarth,  C.  G.  Adoc,  Wm.  Cunningham ;  Lieu- 
tenants N.  S.  Bouton,  C.  George,  W.  P.  Barclay,  M.  Shields,  J.  S. 
Mitchell,  G.  S.  Bigelow,  R.  J.  Bellamy,  R.  S.  Sheridan,  Harry 
Briggs,  F.  A.  Munge,  J.  H.  Hills,  A.  Russell,  C.  H.  Gladding. 

The  skill  and  cool  judgment  of  Col.  R.  M.  Hough, 
in  handling  forty  thousand  men  in  the  crowded  streets 
of  a  city  like  Chicago,  was  equal  to  managing  twice 
the  number  on  open  ground,  and  won  the  praise  of  all 
the  military  men  who  participated  in  the  procession. 
A  citizen  of  Chicago,  while  the  people  were  pouring 
through  the  Court  House  by  thousands,  to  look  at  the 
remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  heard  to  say : 

"  I  have  seen  three  deceased  Kings  of  England  lying 
in  state,  but  never  have  witnessed  a  demonstration  so 


198  THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

vast  in  its  proportions,  so  unanimous  and  spontaneous, 
as  that  which  has  been  evoked  by  the  arrival  in  the 
city  of  the  remains  of  the  fallen  President." 

The  three  kings  referred  to  were,  George  the  Third, 
who,  after  a  reign  of  sixty  years,  died  in  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  his  age,  January  29,  1820;  George  the 
Fourth,  who  died  June  26,  1830 ;  and  William  the 
Fourth,  who  died  June  20,  1837,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  niece,  Queen  Victoria. 

The  Chicago  Times  of  May  3,  speaking  of  the  mani- 
festations of  sorrow  and  respect,  says : 

"  The  bitterest  of  his  political  opponents  in  life,  vied  with  his 
warmest  adherents  in  speaking  words  of  appreciation  and  esteem. 
Some  of  the  most  touching  and  characteristic  reminiscences  of  his 
personal  traits,  and  of  his  private  deeds,  were  contributed  with 
tearful  eye  and  broken  voice  by  his  former  opponents. 

"All  joined  heartily  and  liberally  in  preparation  for  the  cere- 
monies, which  yesterday  and  the  day  before  were  to  put  the  seal 
of  the  people's  approbation  on  his  character  and  acts  in  the  eye 
of  the  world.  If  men  no  longer  went  about  their  preparations 
with  heavy  and  o'erburdened  hearts,  they  did  so  with  subdued 
and  kindly  ones.  All  was  done  with  a  tenderness  more  touching 
than  the  most  uncontrollable  passion  of  grief  could  be.  When 
the  sacred  remains  were  brought  through  the  streets  and  deposited 
in  the  keeping  of  the  people  of  the  city,  there  were  no  downcast 
countenances,  but  none  that  were  not  sad  and  pitiful.  There 
were  no  loud  voices  in  the  unnumbered  throngs.  Men  expressed 
themselves  in  subdued  tones,  and  often  nothing  would  be  heard 
but  the  indescribable  murmur  of  ten  thousand  voices,  modulated 
to  a  whisper,  and  the  careful  tread  of  countless  feet  on  the  damp 
pavement  of  the  streets.  It  was  the  entire  population  of  a  great 
city  in.  mourning,  conscious  of  what  was  due  alike  to  herself  and 
the  honored  dead." 

After  having  been  exposed  to  view  from  four  o'clock 
p.  m.,  May  1,  to  eight  p.  m.,  May  2,  the  scene  was 
closed  by  the  Court  House  doors  shutting  out  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       199 

throng  that  was  still  pouring  in.  At  half-past  eight 
the  Court  House  was  cleared  of  all  except  the  guard 
and  the  choir.  The  coffin  was  then  closed  and  borne 
upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Sergeants  of  the  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps  down  the  south  steps  to  the  funeral  car. 
The  Light  Guard  Band  performed  a  requiem  as  the 
remains  were  being  transferred.  An  immense  proces- 
sion, bearing  about  three  thousand  torches,  was  already 
in  line,  to  escort  the  remains  to  the  depot.  At  a  quar- 
ter before  nine  o'clock,  it  moved  to  the  time  of  numer- 
ous bands  of  music.  The  route  lay  west  on  Washing- 
ton street  to  Market,  south  cm  Market  to  Madison, 
west  on  Madison,  by  the  Madison  street  bridge,  to 
Canal  street,  on  the  west  side,  thence  south  on  Canal 
street  to  the  depot  of  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad.  While  the  preparations  for  starting  were  in 
progress,  the  choir  continued  to  sing  funeral  dirges, 
and  the  twenty-five  Sergeants  of  the  the  Veteran  Re- 
serve Corps  stood  around  the  funeral  car  with  drawn 
swords.  At  half-past  nine  o'clock,  the  funeral  cortege 
moved  slowly  out  of  the  depot  to  the  strains  of  a  fu- 
neral march  by  the  band,  while  the  bells  of  the  city 
tolled  a  solemn  farewell  to  all  that  was  mortal  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  princely  style  of 
the  reception  and  passage  of  the  funeral  cortege  through 
Chicago,  from  the  fact  that  the  City  Council  paid  bills 
for  expenses  incurred  in  erecting  the  funeral  arch  at 
Park  Place,  and  decorating  the  Court  House,  to  the 
amount  of  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  This  was 
probably  not  more  than  a  tithe  of  the  total  expendi- 
ture by  citizens  and  asssociations. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


The  remains  had  tarried  so  long  at  Chicago,  while 
such  extensive  preparations  were  in  progress  at 
Springfield,  it  would  not  have  been  surprising  if 
the  people  along  the  line  had  contented  themselves 
with  visiting  one  or  the  other  of  those  places,  and 
had  omitted  any  demonstrations  at  the  respective 
towns  and  cities  along  the  route,  but  the  love  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  Illinois  for  the  memory  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  would  not  permit  them  to  be  so 
easily  satisfied. 

At  Bridgeport,  in  the  very  suburbs  of  Chicago,  the 
people  had  kindled  bonfires,  and  with  torches  lighted 
the  way  as  the  train  moved  slowly  along.  Crowds  of 
spectators  were  at  Summit  and  Willow  Springs  stations, 
and  at  the  town  of  Lemont. 

Lockport,  11:33  p.  m.,  Tuesday,  May  2.  An  im- 
mense bonfire  was  burning,  minute  guns  firing,  and 
the  track  lined  with  people  holding  torches.  The 
glare  of  light  revealed  the  mourning  drapery  on  almost 
every  building,  and  many  mottoes  expressive  of  the. 
feelings  of  the  people.  None  elicited  more  sympathetic 
feeling  than  the  simple  words, 

"Come  Home," 

Joliet.  It  was  midnight  and  raining.  At  least 
twelve  thousand  people  were  assembled  at  the  depot. 
Bonfires  lighted  up  the  scene,  and  the  cortege  was 
greeted  by  minute  guns,  tolling  of  bells,  and  funeral 
dirges  by  a  band  of  music.  An  immense  arch  spanned 


THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       201 

the  track,  decked  with  flags,  evergreens  and  the  insignia 
of  mourning.  The  arch  was  surmounted  by  a  figure 
representing  the  Genius  of  America,  weeping.  Among 
the  mottoes,  the  most  impressive  was, 

"Champion,  defender  and  martyr  of  liberty." 

As  the  train  moved  away,  a  number  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  on  an  elevated  platform,  were  singing, 

"  There  is  rest  for  thee  in  heaven." 

At  Elwood  and  Hampton — both  very  small  places — 
the  people  had  kindled  large  bonfires  to  enable  them  to 
take  a  passing  view  of  the  funeral  train. 

Wilmington,  one  o'clock,  a.  m.,  Wednesday,  May  3. 
Minute  guns  announced  the  arrival  of  the  train,  and  a 
line  of  men  with  torches  was  drawn  up  on  each  side 
of  the  track.  The  depot  was  draped  in  mourning  and 
about  two  thousand  people  were  present  to  view  the 
grand  funeral  cortege. 

At  Gardner  all  the  houses  to  be  seen  were  draped  in 
mourning  and  illuminated,  while  crowds  of  people  were 
at  the  depot. 

Dwight,  two  o'clock,  a.  m.,  May  3.  Minute  guns 
and  the  tolling  of  bells  announced  the  arrival  of  the 
cortege.  The  American  flag  was  displayed,  and  all 
the  buildings  in  view  were  draped  in  mourning. 
The  entire  population  appeared  to  be  out  of  doors  de- 
sirous to  pay  their  respects  to  the  memory  of  Lincoln. 
Some  of  the  escort  recognized  this  as  the  place  where 
the  Prince  of  Wales  and  his  royal  party  were  enter- 
tained. 

Minute  guns,  tolling  of  bells,  bonfires,  funeral  dirges 
and  the  insignia  of  mourning  made  up  the  demon- 
strations at  Odell,  Cayuga,  Pontiac,  Chenoa  and  Lex- 
ington. 

Towanda,  4:30  a.  m.,  May  3.  A  large  assemblage 
of  people  were  at  the  depot  anxious  to  testify  their  sor- 
row and  respect  for  the  distinguished  martyr.  This  is 
the  highest  point  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  being 


202  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  above  the  water  of 
Lake  Michigan. 

Bloomington,  five  o'clock,  a.  m.,  May  3.  A  large 
arch  over  the  track  bears  the  inscription,  "  Go  to  thy 
Rest."  The  depot  was  handsomely  draped  in  mourn- 
ing, and  about  five  thousand  persons  were  assembled 
to  testify  their  respect  for  the  distinguished  statesman. 
There  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  greater  demonstra- 
tions at  Bloomington,  but  a  considerable  number  of  the 
citizens  visited  Chicago,  and  a  very  large  delegation 
had  already  gone,  or  were  then  on  the  point  of  going 
to  Springfield  to  participate  in  the  procession  and  other 
demonstrations  of  respect  and  mourning. 

At  Shirley,  a  large  number  of  people  were  present, 
with  sad  countenances,  to  view  the  imposing  funeral 
cortege  as  it  glided  by. 

At  McLean,  minute  guns,  tolling  bells,  and  singing 
by  a  choir  of  ladies  contributed  with  mournful  effect 
to  the  occasion,  which  called  out  almost  the  entire 
population. 

Atlanta,  six  o'clock,  a.  m.,  May  3.  Minute  guns  and 
the  fife  and  muffled  drum  greeted  the  funeral  cortege 
at  this  place,  just  as  the  sun  arose  in  splendor  over  the 
beautiful  prairies.  A  large  number  of  people  had  as- 
sembled, and  portraits  of  Abraham  Lincoln  with  em- 
blems of  mourning  were  everywhere  visible.  Among 
the  mottoes  were, 

"  Mournfully,  tenderly,  bear  him  to  his  grave." 


"  He  saved  our  country  and  freed  a  race." 


Lincoln,  111.,  7  a.  m.,  May  3.  This  town  was 
named  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  some  personal  friends 
before  he  was  known  to  fame.  The  depot  was  appro- 
priately draped  in  mourning,  and  ladies  dressed  in 
white,  trimmed  with  black,  sang  a  requiem  as  the  train 
passed  under  a  handsomely  constructed  arch,  on  each 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       203 

column  of  which  was  a  portrait  of  the  deceased  Presi- 
dent. The  arch  bore  as  a  motto  : 

"  With  malice  to  none,  with  charity  for  all." 

The  national  colors  were  prominently  displayed,  and  a 
profusion  of  evergreens,  with  black  and  white  drapings, 
completed  the  artistic  decorations. 

At  Elkhart,  a  beautiful  arch  spanned  the  track,  orna- 
mented with  evergreens  and  national  flags,  all  draped 
in  mourning.  The  arch  was  surmounted  by  a  cross 
formed  of  evergreens  and  bearing  the  motto  : 

"  Ours  the  cross,  thine  the  crown." 

At  Williamsville,  the  houses  were  nearly  all  draped 
in  mourning,  with  a  profuse  display  of  small  flags  and 
portraits  of  the  late  President.  An  arch  spanned  the 
track  here,  also,  which  bore  the  inscription : 

"  He  has  fulfilled  his  mission." 

Springfield,  111.,  9  a.  m.,  Wednesday,  May  3,  1865. 
The  train  arrived  one  hour  later  than  schedule  time, 
so  little  did  it  deviate  from  the  time  table  arranged  be- 
fore leaving  Washington  twelve  days  previous.  The 
trains  on  all  the  roads  for  the  twenty-four  hours  before 
the  expected  arrival  of  the  funeral  cortege,  brought  in 
passengers  by  thousands.  The  greatest  anxiety  was 
manifested  by  the  people  to  be  present  at  the  reception 
of  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Long  previous 
to  the  time  appointed  for  their  arrival,  crowds  were  col- 
lected at  the  depot  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad, 
and  extended  along  the  line  of  the  road  several  squares 
north.  Every  building  in  the  vicinity  was  covered 
with  spectators.  Hundreds  of  men  who  could  not 
find  standing  or  sitting  room  near  the  depot,  walked 
up  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets  to  the  crossing  near  the 
northern  limits  of  the  city.  Every  class  of  people  was 


204  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

represented  in  the  assembled  multitude.  Minute  guns 
were  fired  by  a  section  of  Battery  K,  Second  Missouri 
Light  Artillery.  A  few  minutes  before  nine  o'clock, 
the  pilot  engine  made  its  appearance.  The  ten  minutes 
between  its  arrival  and  that  of  the  funeral  train,  were 
occupied  by  Gen.  Cook  in  bringing  to  their  proper  pla- 
ces the  committee  of  reception,  members  of  the  several 
delegations,  the  military  and  the  civic  societies. 

As  soon  as  the  funeral  car  came  along  side  of  the 
depot,  the  coffin  was  transferred  to  the  beautiful  hearse 
which  had  been  tendered  for  the  occasion  by  Messrs. 
Lynch  &  Arnot,  of  St.  Louis,  through  mayor  Thomas 
of  that  city,  and  accepted  by  mayor  Dennis  of  Spring- 
field. The  hearse  was  built  in  Philadelphia,  at  a  cost 
of  about  six  thousand  dollars,  and  was  larger  and  longer 
than  the  ordinary  size.  It  had  been  used  at  the  funeral 
of  the  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Benton.  After  the  offer  was 
accepted,  the  proprietors  had  it  additionally  ornamented 
with  a  silver  plate  engraving  of  the  initials  "A.  L." 
around  which  was  a  silver  wreath,  with  two  inverted 
torches  and  thirty-six  silver  stars,  representing  the  States 
of  the  Union.  It  was  drawn  by  six  superb  black  hor- 
ses, draped  in  mourning,  and  wearing  plumes  on  their 
crests.  -  The  horses  belonged  to  Messrs.  Lynch  &  Arnot 
also,  and  were  driven  on  this  occasion  by  Mr.  A.  Arnot, 
without  the  aid  of  grooms. 

The  procession  moved  in  the  following  order : 

Brig.  Gen.  John  Cook  and  staff. 

The  146th  regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Col.  H.  H.  Deane ; 

one  company  of  the  46th  regiment  of  Wisconsin  Volunteer 

Infantry,  Capt.  Chase,  and  Company  E.  Veteran 

Reserve  Corps,  under  Lieut.  Cornelius. 
The  above  organizations  were  acting  as  a  military  funeral  escort. 

Band. 
Maj.  Gen.  Joseph  Hooker  and  staff. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       205 
PALL    BBARER8.  PALL  BEARERS. 

Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Erastus  Wright,  Esq. 

Hon.  S.  T.  Logan,  y     Jacob  Bunu,  Esq. 

Hon.  W.  F.  Elkiu,  £j     Chas.  W.  Matheuy,  Esq. 

Hon.  Gustavus  Kceruer,  GO      Capt.  James  N.  Brown, 

Hon.  S.  H.  Treat,  Col.  John  Williams, 

James  L.  Lamb,  Esq.  Dr.  Gershom  Jayue. 

Guard  of  Honor. 

Composed  of  the  same  general  officers  who  were  appointed  by 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  accompany  the  remains  to  Springfield. 
Also,  the  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Embalmer  and  Undertaker. 

Relatives  and  family  friends. 

Among  the  latter  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  P.  D.  Gurley,  Pastor  of  the 
deceased,  and  Judge  David  Davis  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court. 

Illinois  Delegation,  named  in  another  place. 

Congressional  Committee,  or  Delegation,  named  in  another  place. 

Gentlemen  from  Washington,  D.  C.      Hon.   Richard  Wallach, 

Mayor,  and  Col.  Ward  H.  Lamon,  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the 

District  of  Columbia. 

[It  is  worthy  of  remark  here,  that  three  of  the  men 
who  left  Springfield  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  February  11, 
1861,  returned  with  his  remains,  viz. :  Major  General 
David  Hunter,  Judge  David  Davis  and  Col.  Ward  H. 
Lamon.] 

Members  of  the  Illinois  State  Legislature. 
Governors  of  the  different  States. 

Delegation  from  Kentucky. 

Chicago  Committee  of  one  hundred. 

Springfield  Committee  of  Reception. 

Judges  of  the  several  Courts. 

The  Reverend  Clergy. 

Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy  then  in  service  or  honorably  dis- 
charged. 
Civic  Societies. 
Citizens  generally. 

The  procession  moved  from  the  depot  east  on  Jeffer- 
son street  to  Fifth,  south  on  Fifth  to  Monroe,  east  on 


206  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Monroe  to  Sixth,  north  on  Sixth  to  the  State  House 
Square,  entering  through  the  east  gate,  and  by  the  north 
door  of  the  State  House  to  Representatives'  Hall,  in  the 
west  end  of  the  building,  second  story,  where  the  cof- 
fin was  placed  on  a  dais,  within  a  magnificent  catafalque 
prepared  for  the  occasion. 

A  few  minutes  after  ten  o'clock  all  being  in  readi- 
ness, the  doors  were  opened  and  the  vast  multitude  be- 
gan to  file  through  the  hall  to  view  the  remains.  They 
entered  the  Capitol  at  the  north  door,  ascended  the 
stairway  in  the  rotunda  and  entered  Representatives' 
Hall  at  the  north  door,  passed  by  the  catafalque,  out  at 
the  south  door,  then  down  the  stairway  and  made  their 
exit  from  the  Capitol  at  the  south  side. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


We  will  turn  our  attention  for  a  time  from  the  crowds 
of  people,  and  view  the  preparations  for  this  reception. 
For  ten  days  a  large  number  of  men  and  women  worked 
almost  night  and  day  in  decorating  the  State  House. 
The  whole  building  was  draped  in  mourning  on  the 
exterior  ;  and  the  rotunda  and  Representatives'  Hall  on 
the  interior,  and  the  entrance  to  the  Governor's  room, 
the  rooms  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  of  State 
and  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  Part  of  the 
time  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  at  work. 
The  ladies  of  Springfield  bore  their  full  share  in  these 
arduous  labors.  I  have  been  furnished  with  the  fol- 
lowing figures  by  a  prominent  citizen  of  this  city,  who 
prepared  some  of  the  designs  for  decorations.  I  shall 
not  attempt  a  description  of  the  ornamental  work,  but 
will  give  a  few  facts  by  which  some  idea  of  their  gor- 
geous beauty  may  be  conveyed.  About  fifteen  hund- 
red yards  of  black  and  white  goods  were  used  in  the 
decorations,  exclusive  of  the  catafalque.  In  its  con- 
struction and  decoration,  black  cloth,  black  velvet, 
black,  blue  and  white  silk  and  crape,  with  silver  stars 
and  silver  lace  and  fringe,  were  used  in  the  greatest 
profusion.  The  canopy  of  the  catafalque  was  made  of 
velvet,  festooned  with  satin  and  silver  fringe.  It  was 
lined  on  the  under  side  with  blue  silk,  studded  with 
silver  stars.  Three  hundred  yards  of  velvet  and  mourn- 
ing goods,  and  three  hundred  yards  of  silver  lace  and 
fringe,  besides  a  vast  quantity  of  other  materials,  were 
used  in  its  construction.  Each  of  the  six  columns  was 
surmounted  with  a  rich  plume. 


208  THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Evergreens  and  flowers  interwoven  with  crape,  hung 
in  festoons  from  capitals,  columns  and  cornices  in  all 
parts  of  the  building.  Two  hundred  vases  of  natural 
flowers  in  full  bloom,  emitted  their  fragrance  through- 
out the  edifice.  Nearly  all  of  them  were  furnished  free 
of  cost  by  Michael  Doyle,  horticulturist,  of  Springfield. 
Mottoes  and  inscriptions  were  displayed  at  various 
places  about  the  hall,  but  I  can  only  give  place  to  two 
of  them : 

"  Washington  the  Father,  Lincoln  the  Saviour." 


"Rather  than  surrender  that  principle  I  would  be  assassinated 
on  this  spot." 

The  Governor's  mansion,  the  old  Lincoln  residence, 
the  military  headquarters  of  Gen.  Cook  and  Gen.  Oakes, 
were  decorated,  externally,  similar  to  the  State  House. 
Of  the  twenty  thousand  dollars  appropriated  by  the 
City  Council  of  Springfield,  to  be  expended  in  prepa- 
rations for  the  funeral,  less  than  fifteen  thousand  were 
used.  Part  of  it  was  expended  in  building  the  tempo- 
rary vault  on  the  new  State  House  grounds,  paying 
railroad  charges  on  some  carriages  from  Jacksonville, 
the  hearse  from  St.  Louis,  and  the  expenses  of  musi- 
cians and  the  orator;  but  much  the  largest  portion  of 
the  whole  amount  was  laid  out  in  decorating  the  build- 
ings above  named.  This,  however,  was  only  a  small 
part  of  the  money  thus  expended,  for  the  whole  city 
was  draped  in  mourning,  business  houses,  private  resi- 
dences and  all,  and  in  many  instances  they  were  as 
richly  decorated  as  the  public  buildings. 

It  was  well  known  that  the  hotels  could  not  accom- 
modate a  tithe  of  the  strangers  who  would  be  in  attend- 
ance, and  private  families  who  could  do  so,  made  prepa- 
rations and  invited  to  their  houses  such  as  could  not 
otherwise  be  provided  for.  The  six  organizations  of 
Free  Masons  in  Springfield,  viz. :  four  lodges,  one 


AND  THE  NATIONAL,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        209 

chapter  and  one  commandery,  made  equal  appropria- 
tions from  their  several  treasuries,  procured  one  of  the 
largest  halls  in  the  city,  filled  it  with  tables,  and  kept 
them  supplied  with  well  cooked  food  prepared  by  the 
families  of  their  members.  This  dining  hall  was  in- 
tended to  be  free  to  masons  only  who  should  be  in 
attendance,  but  many  others  partook  of  their  bounty 
also..  As  for  sleeping,  there  was  not  much  of  that  done 
in  Springfield  on  the  night  the  remains  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  were  exposed  to  view. 

Strangers  who  were  in  the  city  on  this  occasion  for 
the  first  time,  almost  invariably  visited  the  former  resi- 
dence of  Abraham  Lincoln,  at  the  north  east  corner  of 
Eighth  and  Jackson  streets.  As  already  stated,  it  was 
elaborately  and  tastefully  decorated  with  the  national 
colors  and  the  insignia  of  sorrow.  The  committee  of 
escort  from  Chicago,  numbering  one  hundred — although 
business  engagements  prevented  part  of  their  number 
visiting  Springfield — assembled  near  the  residence  and 
had  their  photographs  taken  in  a  group,  in  connection 
with  the  house,  to  be  preserved  as  a  memorial  of  their 
mournful  visit.  The  photograph  was  by  an  artist  from 
Chicago,  who  accompanied  the  escort  to  Springfield  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  views  of  the  State  House,  the 
closing  scenes  at  Oak  Ridge,  and  other  objects  of  in- 
terest. 

From  the  time  the  coffin  was  opened,  at  ten  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  May  third,  there  was  no  cessation 
of  visitors.  All  through  the  still  hours  of  the  night, 
no  human  voices  were  heard  except  in  subdued  tones ; 
but  the  tramp,  tramp,  of  busy  feet,  as  men  and  women 
filed  through  the  State  House,  up  one  flight  of  stairs, 
through  the  hall,  and  down  another  stairway,  testified 
the  love  and  veneration  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the 
hearts  of  his  old  friends  and  neighbors.  While  the 
closing  scenes  were  being  enacted,  a  choir  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  singers,  accompanied  by  Lebrun's  Washington 
band,  of  twenty  performers,  from  St.  Louis,  assembled 

14 


210  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

on  the  steps  of  the  Capitol,  and,  under  the  direction  of 
Professor  Meissner,  sang 

"Peace,  troubled  soul." 

The  coffin  was  closed  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  May  4th,  and  while  it  was  being  conveyed  to  the 
hearse  the  choir  sang  Pleyel's  Hymn  : 

"  Children  of  the  Heavenly  King." 

The  funeral  procession  was  then  formed  in  the  fol- 
lowing order,  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Major 
General  Joseph  Hooker,  Marshal-in-Chief : 

Brig.  Gen.  John  Cook  and  staff. 
Brig.  Geii.  James  Oakes  and  staff 

Military. 
Funeral  Escort. 

First  Division.  Col.  C.  M.  Prevost,  16th  Reg.  V.  R.  C.,  Mar- 
shal. AIDS  :  Lieut.  Thomas  B.  Beach,  A.  A.  A.  Gen. ;  Maj.  Hor- 
ace Holt,  1st  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery ;  Capt.  J.  C.  Reuuisou,  15th 
N.  Y.  Cavalry ;  Capt.  E.  C.  Raymond,  124th  111.  Inf. ;  Capt.  Eddy, 
95th  111.  Inf. ;  Lieut.  H.  N.  Schlick,  1st  N.  Y.  Dragoons. 

This  division  consisted  entirely  of  Infantry,  Cavalry 
and  Artillery. 

Second  Division.  Mnj.  F.  Bridgman,  Pay  Department,  U.  S. 
Army,  Marshal.  AIDS:  Maj.  R.  W.  McClaugliry  and  Maj.  W.  W. 
White. 

This  division  was  composed  of  officers  and  enlisted 
men  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  not  otherwise  assigned, 
officers  in  uniform  and  side  arms. 

Maj.  Gen.  John  A.  McClernand  was  the  chief  marshal  of  the 
civic  department  of  the  procession.  AIDS:  Lieut.  Col.  Schwartz, 
Capt.  Henry  Jayne,  Capt.  R.  Rudolph,  Capt.  Benjamin  Ferguson, 
Hon.  Charles  Keys,  W.  M.  Springer,  E.  E.  Myers,  Ed.  L.  Merritt, 
N.  Higgins. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       211 

The  command  of  Gen.  McClernand  commenced 
with  the 

Third  Division.  Col.  Dudley  Wickersham,  of  the  1st  Army 
Corps,  Marshal.  AIDS:  Joshua  Rogers,  Isaac  A..Hawley,  W.  F. 
Kimber,  J.  B.  Perkins. 

Marshals  of  Sections— Col.  W.  8.  Barnum,  Capt.  A.  J.  Allen, 
Col.  S.  N.  Hitt,  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  Robert  P.  Officer,  W.  Smith 
and  Capt.  T.  G.  Barnes. 

Orator  of  the  Day  and  Officiating  Clergymen — Rev.  Dr.  Simp- 
son, Bishop  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  Orator  of  the  Day ;  Rev.  Dr. 
Gurley ;  Rev.  Dr.  N.  W.  Miner ;  Rev.  Dr.  Harkey ;  Rev.  Albert 
Hale ;  Rev.  A.  C.  Hubbard,  and  others. 

Surgeons  and  Physicians  of  the  Deceased. 

PALL  BEAKERS.  PALL  BEAREK8. 

Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Erastus  Wright,  Esq. 

Hon.  S.  T.  Logan,  t=J      Hon.  J.  N.  Brown, 

Hon.  Gustavus  Kcerner,  £j     Jacob  Bunn,  Esq. 

James  L.  Lamb,  Esq.  »      C.  W.  Matheny,  Esq. 

Hon.  S.  H.  Treat,  Elijah  lies,  Esq. 

Col.  John  Williams,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart. 

"Old  Bob."  or  "  Robin,"  the  old  horse  formerly  ridden  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  political  campaigns  and  law  practice,  off 
the  lines  of  railroad.  He  was  about  sixteen  years  old,  and  was  led 
by  two  colored  grooms. 

Guard  of  Honor,  in  carriages,  as  follows :  Brevet  Brig.  Gen.  E. 
D.  Townsend ;  Brevet  Brig.  Gen.  Charles  Thomas ;  Brig.  Gen.  A. 
B.  Eaton ;  Brevet  Maj.  Gen.  J.  G.  Barnard ;  Brig.  Gen.  G.  D. 
Ramsay ;  Brig.  Gen.  A.  P.  Howe ;  Brevet  Brig.  Gen.  D.  C.  Mc- 
Callum;  Maj.  Gen.  D.  Hunter;  Brig.  Gen.  J.  C.  Caldwell;  Brig. 
Gen.  Elkin:  Rear  Admiral  C.  H.  Davis;  Capt.  W.  R.  Taylor,  U. 
S.  Navy ;  Maj.  T.  H.  Field,  U.  S.  Marine  Corps. 

Relatives  and  Family  Friends,  in  Carriages. 

Fourth  Division.  Col.  Speed  Butler,  Marshal.  AIDS  :  Maj. 
Robert  Allen,  Capt.  Louis  Rosette  and  Capt.  Albert  Williams. 

Marshals  of  Sections — William  Bennett,  H.  W.  Ives,  Philip  C. 
Latham,  William  V.  Roll,  K.  H.  Richardson,  J.  E.  Williams  and 
J.  D.  Crabb. 


212  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

Congressional  Committe  or  Delegation. 

Senate — Hon.  Messrs.  James  W.  Nye  of  Nevada,  George  H.  Wil- 
liams of  Oregon,  Henry  S.  Lane  of  Indiana,  John  B.  Henderson 
of  Missouri,  Lyman  Trumbull  and  Richard  Yates  of  Illinois,  Howe 
and  Doolittle  of  Wisconsin,  Foote  of  Vermont,  Chandler  of 
Michigan,  and  George  T.  Brown,  Sergeant-at-arms  of  the  U.  8. 
Senate. 

House  of  Representatives — Hon.  Schuyler Colfax,  Speaker;  Hon. 
Messrs.  Pike  of  Maine,  Rollins  of  New  Hampshire,  Baxter  of 
Connecticut,  Harris  of  New  York,  Cowan  of  Pennsylvania,  Farns- 
worth,  Washburn,  Cook,  Norton  and  Arnold,  of  Illinois,  Morehead 
and  Bailey  of  Pennsylvania,  Sloan  of  Wisconsin,  Wilson  of  Iowa, 
Farquhar  of  Indiana,  Clarke  of  Kansas,  Shannon  of  California, 
Phelps  of  Maryland,  Hooper  of  Massachusetts,  Ferry  of  Michi- 
gan, Newell  of  New  Jersey,  Whaley  of  West  Virginia,  Schenck 
of  Ohio,  Smith  of  Kentucky,  Ramsay  of  Minnesota,  Hitchcock 
of  Nebraska,  and  S.  G.  Ordway,  Sergeant-at-arms  of  the  U.  S. 
House  of  Representatives. 

Territorial  Representatives — Hon.  Messrs.  Bradford,  of  Colorado, 
and  Weed,  of  Dacotah. 

A  portion  of  those  who  are  named  among  the  Con- 
gressional Delegation  did  not  attend,  but  of  those  who 
were  certainly  with  the  funeral  cortege  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  of  the  journey,  were  the  Hon.  Messrs. 
Williams,  of  Oregon,  Nye,  of  Nevada,  Washburn,  of 
Illinois,  Morehead,  of  Pennsylvania,  Hooper,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  Schenck,  of  Ohio.  Some  of  the  Mem- 
bers of  Congress  from  Illinois  were  in  the 

Illinois  Delegation. 

Governor  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Hons.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Shelby  M. 
Cullom  and  D.  L.  Phillips,  Adjt.  Gen.  Isham  N.  Haynie,  Col.  J. 
H.  Bowen,  W.  H.  Hauna,  E.  F.  Leonard,  Dr.  S.  H.  Melvin,  Hon. 
O.  M.  Hatch,  Col.  John  Williams. 

Governors  of  States  with  their  suites,  and  Governors  of  Terri- 
tories: Oglesby,  of  Illinois;  Bramlette,  of  Kentucky ;  Morton, 
of  Indiana;  Fletcher,  of  Missouri :  Stone,  of  Iowa ;  Pickering,  of 
Washington  Territory,  and  Wallace,  of  Idaho  Territory. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        213 

Members  of  the  Illinois  Legislature. 

Kentucky  Delegation. 

Chicago  Committee  of  Reception  and  Escort. 
Fifth  Division.    Hon.  George  L.  Huntington,  Marshal.    AIDS: 
Dr.   S.   Babcock,   George   Shepherd,   Charles   Ridgley,    George 
Latham,  Moses  B.  Condell. 

This  division  was  composed  of  the  municipal  authori- 
ties of  Springfield,  and  other  cities. 

Sixth  Division.  Hon.  W.  H.  Herndon,  Marshal.  AIDS:  P.  P 
Enos,  C.  8.  Zane,  Dr.  T.  W.  Dresser,  John  T.  Jones,  William  G. 
dochrane,  James  Ray  borne,  Charles  Vincent,  Edward  Beach,  John 
Peters,  C.  W.  Reardon,  R.  C.  Huskey. 

Marshals  of  Sections — Thomas  Lyon,  B.  T.  Hill,  George  Birge, 
Henry  Yeakel,  Jacob  Halfen,  Sweet,  Dewitt  C.  Hartwell, 

Hamilton  Haney,  Fred.  B.  Smith. 

The  sixth  division  was  composed  of  Christian,  Sani- 
tary and  other  kindred  Commissions,  Aid  Societies,  etc. 
and  delegations  from  Universities,  Colleges  and  other 
institutions  of  learning. 

Reverend  Clergy,  not  officiating  for  the  day. 
Members  of  the  Legal  Profession. 
Members  of  the  Medical  Profession.  « 

Representatives  of  the  Press. 

Seventh  Division.  Hon.  Harmon  G.  Reynolds,  Marshal.  AIDS  : 
George  R.  Teasdale,  John  A.  Hughes,  James  Smith,  P.  Fitzpat- 
rick,  Henry  Shuck  and  Thomas  O'Conner. 

Marshals  of  sections — Capt.  Charles  Fisher,  Frank  W.  Tracy, 
M.  Conner,  Frederick  Smith,  M.  Armstrong,  Richard  Young. 

This  division  was  composed  of  the  various  bodies  of 
Free  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and  other  kindred  fraterni- 
ties, and  the  Firemen. 

Eighth  Division.  Hon.  John  W.  Smith,  Marshal.  AIDS  :  Capt' 
Isaac  Keys,  S.  H.  Jones,  Hon.  John  W.  Priest,  O.  A.  Abel,  Maj. 
H.  N.  Alden,  Win.  P.  Crafton,  G.  A.  Kimber,  John  W.  Poorman, 
Henry  Ridgley,  J.  H.  Crow,  John  W.  Davis,  Fresco  Wright,  N. 


214  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

V.  Hunt,  George  Dalby,  Alfred  A.  North,  Hon.  J.  8.  Bradford, 
Samuel  P.  Townsend. 

This  division  was  composed  of  citizens  generally,  and 
all  who  had  not  been  assigned  to  some  other  place  in 
the  procession,  bringing  up  the  rear  with  the  colored 
people. 

The  procession  thus  formed  received  the  corpse  at 
the  north  gate  of  the  State  House  square,  and  moved 
east  on  Washington  street  to  Eighth,  south  on  Eighth 
— passing  the  Lincoln  residence  at  the  corner  of  Jack- 
son and  Eighth — to  Cook,  west  on  Cook  to  Fourth, 
north  on  Fourth,  passing  between  the  Governor's  man- 
sion— then  the  home  of  Governor  Oglesby — and  the 
fine  residence  of  ex-Governor  Matteson,  to  Union,  west 
on  Union  to  Third,  north  on  Third  to  the  eastern  en- 
trance to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  one  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  State  House. 

On  arriving  at  the  cemetery,  the  remains  were  placed 
in  the  receiving  tomb.  The  choir  then  sang  the  Dead 
March  in  Saul : 

"  Unveil  thy  bosom,  faithful  tomb, 
Take  this  new  treasure  to  thy  trust,"  etc. 

ReV.  Albert  Hale,  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  Springfield,  then  offered  a  fervent  and  ap- 
propriate prayer,  after  which  the  choir  sang  a  dirge 
composed  for  the  occasion  by  L.  W.  Dawes,  music  by 
George  F.  Root : 

"  Farewell,  Father,  Friend  and  Guardian." 

A  portion  of  scripture  was  then  read  by  Rev.  N.  W. 
Miner,  and  the  choir  sang 

"  To  Thee,  O,  Lord,  I  yield  my  spirit." 

President  Lincoln's  Inaugural  Address  of  March  4, 
1865,  was  then  read  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Hubbard.  A  dirge 
was  performed  by  the  choir,  and  then  followed  the 
Funeral  Oration  by  Rev.  Dr.  Simpson,  Bishop  of  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        215 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  a  review  of  the 
life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  more  particularly  that  part 
from  the  time  He  left  Springfield,  Feb.  11,  1861,  until 
his  death.  In  drawing  the  contrast  between  his  depart- 
ure and  return,  the  Bishop  said  : 

"  Such  a  scene  as  his  return  to  you  was  never  known  among  the 
events  of  history.  There  was  one  for  tho  Patriarch  Jacob  which 
come  up  from  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptians  wondered  at  the  evidences 
of  reverence  and  filial  affection  which  came  up  from  the  hearts 
of  the  Israelites.  There  was  mourning  when  Moses  fell  upon  the 
heights  of  Pisgah,  and  was  hid  from  human  view.  There  has 
been  mourning  in  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  when  kings  and 
princes  have  fallen,  but  never  was  there  in  the  history  of  man 
such  mourning  as  that  which  accompanied  this  funeral  procession. 

"  Far  more  eyes  have  gazed  upon  the  face  of  the  departed  than 
ever  looked  upon  the  face  of  any  other  departed  man.  More  eyes 
have  looked  upon  the  procession  for  sixteen  hundred  miles  and 
more,  by  night  and  by  day,  by  sunlight,  dawn,  twilight,  and  by 
torchlight,  than  ever  before  watched  the  progress  of  a  procession." 

In  illustration  of  the  universal  feeling  of  sorrow, 
the  orator  said : 

"  Nor  is  this  mourning  confined  to  any  one  class,  or  to  any  dist- 
rict or  country.  Men  of  all  political  parties  and  of  all  religious 
creeds,  have  united  in  paying  this  mournful  tribute.  The  arch- 
bishop of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  New  York  and  a  Prot- 
estant minister  walked  side  by  side  in  the  sad  procession.  A  Jew- 
ish Rabbi  performed  part  of  the  solemn  services. 

"  But  the  great  cause  of  this  mourning  is  found  in  the  man  him- 
self. Mr.  Lincoln  was  no  ordinary  man;  and  I  believe  the  con- 
viction has  been  growing  on  the  nation's  mind,  as  it  certainly  has 
been  on  mine,  especially  in  the  last  years  of  his  administration, 
that  by  the  hand  of  God  he  was  especially  singled  out  to  guide 
our  government  in  these  troubled  times.  And  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  hand  of  God  may  be  traced  in  many  of  the  events  connected 
with  his  history. 

"  I  recognize  this  in  his  physical  education,  which  prepared  him 
for  enduring  herculean  labors.  In  the  toils  of  his  boyhood  and 


216  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

the  labors  of  his  manhood,  God  was  giving  him  an  iron  frame. 
Next  to  this  was  his  identification  with  the  heart  of  the  great 
people,  understanding  their  feelings  because  he  was  one  of  them, 
and  connected  with  them  in  their  movements  and  life.  His  edu- 
cation was  simple.  A  few  months  spent  in  the  school  house  gave 
him  the  elements  of  an  education.  He  read  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  ^Esop's  Fables  and  the  life  of  Washington,  which  were 
his  favorites.  In  these  we  recognize  the  marks  which  gave  the 
bias  to  his  character,  and  which  partly  moulded  his  style.  His 
early  life,  with  its  varied  struggles,  joined  him  indissolubly  to  the 
working  masses,  and  no  elevation  in  society  diminished  his  respect 
for  the  sous  of  toil.  He  knew  what  it  was  to  fell  the  tall  trees  of 
the  forest,  and  to  stem  the  current  of  the  broad  Mississippi.  His 
home  was  in  the  growing  West — the  heart  of  the  Republic — and 
invigorated  by  the  winds  that  swept  over  its  prairies,  he  learned 
lessons  of  self  reliance  that  sustained  him  in  scenes  of  adversity. 
His  genius  was  soon  recognized,  as  true  genius  always  will  be,  and 
he  was  placed  in  the  legislature  of  his  adopted  State.  Already 
acquainted  with  the  principles  of  law,  he  devoted  his  thoughts  to 
matters  of  public  interest,  and  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  the 
'  coming  statesman.'  As  early  as  1839  he  presented  resolutions  in 
the  legislature  asking  for  emancipation  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
while,  with  but  rare  exceptions,  the  whole  popular  mind  of  his 
State  was  opposed  to  the  measure.  From  that  hour  he  was  a 
steady  and  uniform  friend  of  humanity,  and  was  preparing  for  the 
conflict  of  later  years. 

"  It  was  not,  however,  chiefly  by  his  mental  faculties  that  he 
gained  such  control  over  mankind.  His  moral  power  gave  him 
pre-eminence.  The  convictions  of  men  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  an  honest  man,  led  them  to  yield  to  his  guidance.  As  has 
been  said  of  Cobden,  whom  he  greatly  resembled,  he  made  all  men 
feel  a  kind  of  sense  of  himself—a  recognized  individuality — a  self 
relying  power.  They  saw  in  him  a  man  whom  they  believed 
would  do  what  was  right,  regardless  of  consequences.  It  was  this 
moral  feeling  which  gave  him  the  greatest  hold  upon  the  people, 
and  made  his  utterances  almost  oracular. 

"  But  the  great  act  of  the  mighty  chieftain,  on  which  his  power 
shall  rest  long  after  his  frame  shall  moulder  away,  is  giving  free- 
dom to  a  race.  We  have  all  been  taught  to  revere  the  sacred 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       217 

scriptures.  We  have  thought  of  Moses ;  of  his  power,  and  the 
prominence  he  gave  to  the  moral  law;  how  it  lasts,  and  how  his 
name  towers  high  among  the  names  in  heaven,  and  how  he  deliv- 
ered those  millions  of  his  kindred  out  of  bondage.  And  yet  we 
may  assert  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  his  proclamation,  liberated 
more  enslaved  people  than  ever  Moses  set  free — and  those  not  of 
his  kindred.  God  has  seldom  given  such  power  or  such  an  oppor- 
tunity to  man.  When  other  events  shall  have  been  forgotten; 
when  this  world  shall  have  become  a  network  of  republics;  when 
every  throne  shall  be  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth ;  when  lit- 
erature shall  enlighten  all  minds;  when  the  claims  of  humanity 
shall  be  recognized  everywhere,  this  act  shall  still  be  conspicuous 
on  the  pages  of  history.  And  we  are  thankful  that  God  gave  to 
Abraham  Lincoln  the  decision  and  wisdom  and  grace  to  issue  that 
proclamation,  which  stands  high  above  all  other  papers  which  have 
been  penned  by  uninspired  men. 

"  Look  over  all  his  speeches — listen  to  his  utterances — he  never 
spoke  unkindly  of  any  man.  Even  the  rebels  received  no  words 
of  anger  from  him,  and  the  last  day  of  his  life  illustrated,  in  a  re- 
markable manner,  his  forgiving  disposition.  A  dispatch  was 
received  that  afternoon  that  Thompson  and  Tucker  were  trying 
to  escape  through  Maine,  and  it  was  proposed  to  arrest  them. 
Mr.  Lincoln,  however,  preferred  to  let  them  quietly  escape.  He 
was  seeking  to  save  the  very  men  who  had  been  plotting  his  de- 
struction; and  this  morning  we  read  a  proclamation  offering 
$25,000  for  the  arrest  of  these  men  as  aiders  and  abettors  of  his 
assassination  ;  so  that,  in  his  expiring  acts,  he  was  saying,  'Father 
forgive  them,  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  As  a  ruler,  I  doubt 
if  any  president  ever  showed  such  trust  in  God,  or,  in  public 
documents,  so  frequently  referred  to  Divine  aid.  Often  did  he 
remark  to  friends  and  delegations  that  his  hope  for  our  success 
rested  in  his  conviction  that  God  would  bless  our  efforts  because 
we  were  trying  to  do  right.  To  the  address  of  a  large  religious 
body  he  replied,  'Thanks  be  unto  God  who,  in  our  national  trials, 
giveth  us  the  churches.'  To  a  minister  who  said  he  '  hoped  the 
Lord  was  on  our  side,'  he  replied  that  it  '  gave  him  no  concern 
whether  the  Lord  was  on  our  side  or  not,'  and  then  added,  '  for  I 
know  the  Lord  is  always  on  the  side  of  right,'  and  with  deep  feel- 
ing continued :  'But  God  is  my  witness  that  it  is  my  constant 


218  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

anxiety  and  prayer  that  both  myself  and  this  nation  should  be  on 
the  Lord's  side.' " 

After  the  oration  or  eulogy,  a  requiem  was  per- 
formed by  the  choir,  a  prayer  offered  by  the  K,ev.  Dr. 
Harkey,  followed  by  the  singing  of 

"  Peace,  troubled  soul." 

Rev.  Dr.  P.  D.  Gurley  then  arose,  made  a  few  remarks 
and  the  closing  prayer,  after  which  the  following  funeral 
hymn,  composed  by  him  for  the  occasion,  was  sung : 

Rest,  noble  martyr !  rest  in  peace ; 

Rest  with  the  true  and  brave 
Who,  like  thee,  fell  in  freedom's  cause, 

The  nation's  life  to  save. 

Thy  name  shall  live  while  time  endures, 

And  men  shall  say  of  thee, 
He  saved  his  country  from  its  foes, 

And  bade  the  slave  be  free. 

These  deeds  shall  be  thy  monument, 

Better  than  brass  or  stone ; 
They  leave  thy  fame  in  glory's  light 

Unrivaled  and  alone. 

This  consecrated  spot  shall  be 

To  freedom  ever  dear ; 
And  freedom's  sons  of  every  race 

Shall  weep  and  worship  here. 

O,  God,  before  whom  we,  in  tears, 

Our  fallen  chief  deplore, 
Grant  that  the  cause  for  which  he  died, 

May  live  forever  more. 

The  services  closed  by  the  choir  singing  the  doxology, 
and  the  benediction  by  Dr.  Gurley, when  the  vast  mul- 
titude melted  away  and  sought  the  railroad  depots,  from 


AND  THK  NATIONAi,  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        219 

which  the  trains  bore  them  to  their  homes  in  all  parts 
of  the  nation — east,  west,  north  and  south.  Thus 
ended  the  most  grand  and  sublime  funeral  pageant 
the  world  ever  saw.  The  injunction  so  often  repeated 
on  the  way —  . 

"  Bear  him  gently  to  his  rest " — 

was  reverently  obeyed,  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  words, 
"  The  heart  of  the  nation  throbs  heavily  at  the  portals  of  the  tomb," 

were  realized  with  a  force  of  which  he  little  thought  at 
the  time  they  were  spoken. 

In  the  largest  number  of  places  where  the  escort 
stopped  to  give  an  opportunity  for  public  honors,  the 
local  authorities  provided  guards  to  relieve  the  Guard 
of  Honor  detailed  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  but  in  no 
instance  did  they  all  leave  the  remains.  They  w.ere 
acting  under  orders  to  guard  the  body  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln until  it  should  be  deposited  in  its  final  resting 
place  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  during  all  the  jour- 
ney there  was  not  a  moment  but  one  or  mor.e  of  these 
veteran  officers,  with  bronzed  visages  and  gray  hairs, 
could  be  seen  near  the  body. 

According  to  the  special  order  issued  from  the  War 
Department,  April  18,  1865,  all  arrangements  by  State 
or  municipal  authorities  for  doing  honor  to  the  remains, 
were  to  be  under  the  direction  of  the  military  com- 
mander of  the  division,  department  or  district  in  which 
the  proposed  demonstrations  were  to  take  place.  In 
order  to  see  that  the  provisions  of  this  order  were  car- 
ried out,  Major  General  Cadwallader,  commander  of 
the  department  of  Pennsylvania,  joined  the  cortege  at 
the  State  line  between  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 
He  continued  with  the  funeral  party  until  it  reached 
Jersey  City,  when  he  was  relieved  by  Major  General 
John  A.  Dix,  commander  of  the  department  of  New 
York.  Gen.  Dix  traveled  with  the  cortege  through 
New  York  and  across  the  northern  end  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. Major  General  Joseph  Hooker,  commander  of  the 


220  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

department  of  the  Ohio,  relieved  Gen.  Dix  at  Wick- 
liffe,  Ohio.  General  Hooker  continued  with  the  funeral 
cortege  until  the  closing  ceremonies  at  Springfield, 
Illinois. 

I  have  omitted  to  mention  the  estimates  given  in  the 
papers  of  the  numbers  who  viewed  the  remains  at  dif- 
ferent points ;  but  summing  them  all  up  at  the  close, 
I  feel  justified  in  saying  that  more  than  one  million 
men  and  women  must  have  looked  upon  the  dead  face 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  ;an  event  which  has  no  parallel  in 
the  history  of  the  world. 

In  the  course  of  the  entire  journey,  there  can  not  be 
a  line  or  even  a  word  found  on  record,  urging  the  peo- 
ple to  turn  out  in  honor  of  the  deceased.  The  assem- 
bling of  such  multitudes  was,  in  all  cases,  spontaneous. 
Day  and  night,  cold  or  warm,  rain  or  shine,  for  twelve 
long  days  and  nights,  it  was  only  necessary  for  the 
people  to  know  the  time  the  cortege  was  expected  to 
arrive  at  any  given  point,  to  bring  them  together  in 
great  numbers. 

The  annexed  table  will  exhibit  the  distance  traveled 
by  the  funeral  train  that  bore  the  remains  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  from  Washington  city  to  Springfield,  Illinois. 
The  distance  is  also  given  between  the  different  points 
at  which  the  remains  were  taken  from  the  train,  in 
compliance  with  the  desire  of  the  people  to  do  honor 
to  the  memory  of  the  martyred  President : 

MILKS. 

From  Washington  to  Baltimore 40 

"      Baltimore  via  York  to  Harrisburg 84 

"      Harrisburg  to  Philadelphia 107 

"      Philadelphia  via  Trenton  to  New  York 87 

"     New  York  to  Albany 142 

"      Albany  via  Schuectady,  Utica,  Syracuse,  Rochester  and 

Batavia  to  Buffalo 296 

"      Buffalo  ma  Dunkirk  and  Erie  to  Cleveland 183 

"      Cleveland  via  Crestline  and  Delaware  to  Columbus. .  138 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMEMT.      221 

From  Columbus  via  Urbana,  Piqua,  Greenville,  Richmond, 

and  Knightstown  to  Indianapolis 188 

"  Indianapolis  via  Lafayette  and  Michigan  City  to 

Chicago 212 

"  Chicago  via  Joliet,  Chenoa  and  Bloomington  to 

Springfield 185 

Total 1662 

It  is  but  natural  that  the  very  best  that  could  be 
written  would  appear  in  those  papers  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
own  way  of  thinking  in  politics ;  but  some  of  the  finest 
articles  appeared  in  papers  that  had  always  been  op- 
posed to  him  politically.  The  Daily  Register,  a  Demo- 
cratic paper  published  at  Springfield,  in  its  issue  of 
Saturday  evening,  April  15,  1865,  after  relating  the 
news  of  the  assassination,  says  : 

"Just  in  the  hour  when  the  crowing  triumph  of  his  life  awaited 
him ;  when  the  result  which  he  had  labored  and  prayed  for  four 
years  with  incessant  toil,  stood  almost  accomplished ;  when  he 
could  begin  clearly  to  see  the  promised  land  of  his  longings — the 
restored  Union — even  as  Moses,  from  the  top  of  Pisgah,  looked 
forth  upon  the  Canaan  he  had  for  forty  years  been  striving  to 
attain,  the  assassin's  hand  at  once  puts  a  rude  period  to  his  life 
and  to  his  hopes.  As  Moses  of  old,  who  had  led  God's  people 
through  the  gloom  and  danger  of  the  wilderness,  died  when  on 
the  eve  of  realizing  all  that  his  hopes  had  pictured,  so  Lincoln  is 
cut  off  just  as  the  white  wing  of  peace  begins  to  reflect  its  silvery 
radiance  over  the  red  billows  of  war.  It  is  hard  for  a  great  man 
to  die,  but  doubly  cruel  that  he  should  be  cut  off  after  such  a 
career  as  that  of  him  we  mourn  to-day." 

And  the  same  paper  of  April  18th  says  : 

"  History  has  recorded  no  such  scene  of  bloody  terror.  The 
murder  of  monarchs  has  been  written.  Caesar  was  slain  in  the 
8enal£  Chamber ;  Gustavus  was  butchered  in  the  ball  room ;  but 
these  were  usurpers  and  tyrants,  not  the  chosen  heads  of  a  peo- 
ple, empowered  to  select  their  rulers.  And,  O  horrible !  that  he 
should  have  been  assassinated  when  his  best  efforts  to  tranquilize 
the  fears  and  fury  of  his  people  were  so  nearly  realized.  We  are 
dumb  with  sorrow." 


222  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE,' 

The  Illinois  State  Journal,  at  Springfield,  the  oldest 
paper  in  the  State  north  of  Edwardsville,  was  the  first 
in  which  Lincoln's  name  ever  appeared  in  connection 
with  any  office — he  having  been  announced  as  a  candi- 
date for  Representative  of  Sangamon  county,  in  its 
issue  of  March  15,  1832.  It  was  then  Whig  and  is 
now  Republican  in  politics,  and  supported  Lincoln 
every  time  he  was  ever  a  candidate.  The  Daily  Jour- 
nal of  Saturday  morning,  April  15,  1865,  gave  the 
telegraphic  announcement  of  his  assassination,  with- 
out comment.  Monday  morning,  the  17th,  it  said  : 

"ABKAHAM  LINCOLN  is  DEAD!  These  portentious  words,  as 
they  sped  over  the  wires  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land  on  Saturday  morning  last,  sent  a  thrill  of  agony  through 
millions  of  loyal  hearts,  and  shrouded  a  nation,  so  lately  rejoic- 
ing in  the  hour  of  victory,  in  the  deepest  sorrow.  The  blow  came 
at  a  moment  so  unexpected,  and  was  so  sudden  and  staggering — 
the  crime  by  which  he  fell  was  so  atrocious  and  the  manner  of  it 
so  revolting,  that  men  were  unable  to  realize  the  fact  that  one  of 
the  purest  of  citizens,  the  noblest  of  patriots,  the  most  beloved 
and  honored  of  Presidents,  the  most  forbearing  and  magnanimous 
of  rulers,  had  perished  at  the  hands  of  an  assassin.  The  horrify- 
in'g  details  recalled  only  the  scenes  of  blood  which  have  disgraced 
barbaric  ages.  People  were  unwilling  to  believe  that,  in  our  own 
time,  there  could  be  found  men  capable  of  a  crime  so  utterly 
fiendish  and  brutal.  *  *  *  And  yet  this  is 

called  chivalry." 

"  President  Lincoln  died  at  the  hand  of  Slavery.  It  was  Slavery 
5hat  conceived  the  fearful  deed ;  it  was  Slavery  that  sought  and 
found  the  willing  instrument  and  sped  the  fatal  ball ;  it  is  Slavery 
alone  that  will  justify  the  act.  Henceforth  men  will  look  upon 
Slavery  as  indeed  'the  sum  of  all  villanies.'  " 

The  same  paper  of  Saturday  morning,  the  22d,  says : 

"A  week  ago  this  morning,  the  intelligence  first  startled  the 
the  nation  that  a  crime  of  the  most  fearful  character  had  been 
perpetrated  in  Washington.  The  spirit  of  our  honored  and  be- 
loved President,  the  most  genial,  patient  and  forbearing  of  men, 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       223 

but  the  victim  of  the  most  atrocious  assassination,  was  then  tak- 
ing its  flight  to  the  'God  who  gave  it.'  "  *  *  * 
"One  week  has  passed,  and  such  a  week  was  never  known  in 
this  or  any  other  land.  The  popular  sorrow,  instead  of  abating 
by  time,  has  grown  even  more  intense,  as  the  people  have  been 
gradually  enabled  to  comprehend  the  terrible  facts.  The  heart 
of  the  nation  has  been  moved  as  it  was  never  moved  before. 
Every  village  and  city  of  the  land,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa- 
cific, have  joined  in  the  most  heartfelt  demonstrations  of  grief,  in 
view  of  the  national  loss.  To-day  the  sorrowful  cortege  accom- 
panying the  remains  of  our  beloved  President  is  at  last  approach, 
ing  the  home  whence,  four  years  ago,  he  set  out  with  many  mis- 
givings, but  strong  in  the  sense  of  duty,  to  assume  the  reins  of 
government,  to  which  the  suffrages  of  the  people  had  called  him. 
The  eyes  of  the  whole  nation  are  upon  it,  and  wherever  that  dark 
and  sorrow-burdened  train  appears,  it  is  attended  by  the  lamenta- 
tions of  the  people." 

Friday  morning,  28th,  the  Journal  announced  the 
death  of  the  assassin,  and  said  : 

"  Retribution,  swift  and  sure,  has  fallen  upon  his  murderer ! 
J.  Wilkes  Booth,  the  author  of  that  atrocious  deed,  lies  as  lifeless 
as  Abraham  Lincoln.  *  *  *  *  It  is  no 

compensation  for  the  loss  to  the  nation  of  such  a  man  as  Abraham 
Lincoln,  that  judgment  has  overtaken  his  murderer.  *  * 
The  only  satisfaction  we  feel  is  that  justice  has  been  done." 

The  Journal  of  Wednesday  morning,  May  3d,  says  : 

"  To-day  all  that  is  mortal  ol  Abraham  Lincoln  comes  back  to 
us  to  be  deposited  among  a  people  with  whom  he  spent  so  many 
years  of  his  life,  and  among  whom  he  hoped,  his  work  being 
done,  to  spend  the  evening  of  his  days." 

The  Journal,  Thursday,  May  4th  : 

"  To-day  we  lay  him  reverently  to  rest,  amid  the  scenes  he 
loved  so  well.  Millions  will  drop  a  tear  to  his  memory,  and 
future  generations  will  make  pilgrimages  to  his  tomb.  Peace  to 
his  ashes." 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


It  will  be  remembered  that,  on  the  twenty-fourth 
day  of  April,  a  public  meeting  was  held  in  Springfield, 
at  which  a  committee  was  chosen  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  sepulture  of  the  remains  of  President 
Lincoln.  It  will  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  com- 
mittee resolved  itself  into  a  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association. 

A  conditional  contract  had  been  made  for  a  plat  of 
ground  on  which  to  erect  a  monument,  and  the  work 
of  constructing  a  temporary  vault,  at  the  expense  of 
the  city,  had  been  commenced.  It  was  designed  to  be 
a  resting  place  for  the  remains  until  the  monument 
could  be  erected.  By  the  men  working  night  and  day, 


(Fig.  1.) 

VAULT  ON  THE  NEW  STATE  HOUSE  GUOUND8. 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        225 

through  sunshine  and  rain,  it  was  ready  for  use  at  the 
appointed  time,  although  the  work  was  not  quite  com- 
pleted on  the  outside.  It  was  ascertained,  on  the 
morning  of  the  fourth,  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  objected  to 
the  body  of  her  husband  being  placed,  even  tempo- 
rarily, in  the  new  vault,  on  account  of  the  location 
of  the  grounds  selected.  She  having  expressed  her 
preference  for  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  it  was  in  com- 
pliance with  her  wishes  that  the  remains  were  taken 


(Fig.  2.) 

PUBLIC   VAULT   AT   OAK    KIDGE. 

there  and  deposited  in  the  public  receiving  vault 
of  the  cemetery.  The  new  vault  was  on  the  grounds 
that  have  since  been  purchased  and  donated  by 
the  city  of  Springfield  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  upon 
which  the  State  is  now  erecting  a  Capitol,  at  an  ex- 
pense o-f  three  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars.  The 
vault  stood  about  fifty  yards  north  of  the  new  State 
House.  A  cenotaph  should,  and  doubtless  will,  be 
15 


226 


THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 


erected  on  the  spot,  after  the  edifice  is  completed  and 
the  grounds  put  in  proper  order.  Figure  No.  1  was 
engraved  from  a  drawing  of  the  vault,  preserved  by 
T.  J.  Dennis,  who  was  at  the  time  Mayor  of  the  city. 

For  several  weeks  after  the  remains  were  deposited 
in  the  public  vault  of  the  cemetery,  ropes  were  ex- 
tended in  front  of  it,  and  a  guard  of  soldiers  kept 
there  day  and  night.  This  was  done  more  as  a  mark 
of  honor  and  respect,  than  from  any  fear  that  his  tomb 
would  be  desecrated.  Figure  No.  2  was  engraved  from 
a  photograph  taken  during  that  time. 

Soon  after  the  remains  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Willie 
were  deposited  in  this  vault,  the  following  entries  were 
made  in  the  register  kept  by  the  sexton  of  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery : 


DATE  OP 

LNTERM'T. 

NAME. 

CAUSE  OP 
DEATH. 

PLACE  OF 
BIRTH. 

REMARKS. 

May  4, 
1865. 

Abraham 
Liucolu. 

Assassinated. 

Kentucky. 

Receiving 
Tomb. 

Removed 

May  4, 

Willie 

Springf'ld, 

from  Wash- 

1865. 

Lincoln. 

111. 

ington,  D.C. 

Receiving 

Tomb. 

On  the  ninth  of  May,  a  call  was  sent  out  to  all  Sun- 
day schools,  to  take  up  collections  the  second  Sabbath, 
and  all  public  schools,  the  first  Tuesday,  in  June. 

The  Association  was  without  legal  authority  until 
the  eleventh  of  May,  when  it  was  established  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  Illinois  governing  voluntary  soci- 
eties, under  the  following 

ARTICLES  OF  ASSOCIATION. 

We,  Richard  J.  Oglosby,  Sharon  Tyndale,  O.  H.  Miner,  James 
H.  Beveridge,  Newton  Bateman,  John  T.  Stuart,  Samuel  H.  Treat, 
Jesse  K.  Dubois,  O.  M.  Hatch,  James  C.  CoHkling,  Thomas  J. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        227 

Dennis,  John  Williams,  Jacob  Bunu,  S.  H.  Melvin  and  David  L. 
Phillips,  all  being  of  full  age,  and  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  certify  that  we  do  hereby  associate  our- 
selves under  and  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  entitled  "  An  act  for  the  incorporation  of 
Benevolent,  Educational,  Literary,  Musical,  Scientific  and  Mis- 
sionary societies,  including  societies  formed  for  mutual  improve- 
ment, or  for  the  promotion  of  the  arts,"  approved  February  24, 
1859,  by  the  following  name,  and  for  the  purpose  herein  specified. 

ARTICLE  I. 

This  Association  shall  be  called  the  "  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association,"  and  be  located  at  Springfield,  State  of  Illinois, 
and  shall  continue  in  existence  for  the  term  of  twenty  years. 

ARTICLE  II. 

The  object  of  this  Association  shall  be  to  construct  a  Monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  city  of  Spring- 
field, State  of  Illinois. 

ARTICLE  HI. 

The  following  persons  shall  be  the  Directors  of  the  Association 
during  the  first  year  of  its  existence :  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Sharon 
Tyudale,  O.  H.  Miner,  James  H.  Beveridge,  Newton  Bateman, 
John  T.  Stuart,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  O.  M.  Hatch,  James  C.  Conk- 
Hug,  Thomas  J.  Dennis,  John  Williams,  Jacob  Burm,  8.  H.  Melvin, 
Samuel  H.  Treat  and  David  L.  Phillips. 

In  testimony  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and 
seals,  this  eleventh  day  of  May,  1865. 

RICHARD  J.  OGLESBY,  [SEAL.]  SHARON  TYNDALE,  [SEAL.] 
ORLIN  H.  MINER,  [SEAL.]  NEWTON  BATEMAN,  [SEAL.] 

JOHN  T.  STUART,  [SEAL.]     S.  H.  TREAT,  [SEAL.] 

JESSE  K.  DUBOIS,  [SEAL.]     O.  M.  HATCH,  [SEAL.] 

JAMES  C.  CONKLING,      [SEAL.]     S.  H.  MELVIN,  [SEAL.] 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  [SEAL.]     JAMES  H.  BEVERIDGE,  [SEAL.] 

JACOB  BUNK,  [SEAL.]     THOMAS  J.  DENNIS,        [SEAL.] 

DAVID  L.  PHILLIPS,    [SEAL.] 

These  gentlemen  were  nearly  all  occupying  high 
official  positions  at  the  time,  or  had  previously  been. 
The  first  five  named  in  the  preamble  were,  respectively, 


228  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

Governor,  Secretary,  Auditor,  Treasurer  and  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  for  the  State  of  Illinois 
at  the  time.  Mr.  Stuart  was  the  preceptor  and  first 
law  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  an  ex-member  of  the 
U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  and  is  yet  one  of 
the  leading  lawyers  of  Central  Illinois;  Mr.  Treat 
has  been  for  many  years,  and  is  yet,  a  Judge  of  the 
U.  S.  Court  for  Illinois ;  Mr.  Dubois  is  an  ex-member 
of  the  State  Legislature,  ex-receiver  of  the  U.  S.  Land 
Office,  ex- Auditor  of  State,  etc.,  etc. ;  Mr.  Hatch  is  an 
ex-Secretary  of  State,  and  a  man  of  wealth  and  influ- 
ence ;  Mr.  Conkling  is  an  ex-Mayor  of  Springfield,  ex- 
member  of  the  State  Legislature,  a  leading  lawyer, 
capitalist,  and  public  spirited  citizen ;  Mr.  Dennis  was 
at  the  time  Mayor  of  the  city,  and  is  one  of  the  fore- 
most architects  in  the  west;  Mr.  Williams  and  Mr. 
Bunn  are,  respectively,  at  the  head  of  two  among  the 
oldest  and  most  wealthy  banking  houses  in  the  city ; 
Dr.  Melvin  is  a  prominent  merchant,  banker  and  rail- 
road man ;  Mr.  Phillips  was  then  United  States  Mar- 
shal for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois.  All  of  them 
had  long  been  on  terms  of  personal  friendship  and  in- 
timacy with  Abraham  Lincoln. 

On  the  day  the  Association  took  a  legal  form,  the 
Board  of  Directors  organized  by  electing 

Governor  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  President. 

Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Vice  President. 

Clinton  L.  Conkling,  Secretary. 

Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer. 

A  code  of  by  laws  was  adopted,  agents  appointed  to 
collect  funds,  agricultural  and  horticultural  societies 
called  on  to  contribute,  and  the  Treasurer  directed  to 
invest  funds — which  were  already  beginning  to  reach 
the  treasury — in  United  States  securities.  Until  June, 
it  was  the  intention  of  the  Association  to  erect  the 
monument  on  the  plat  of  ground  where  the  first  vault 
had  been  built,  not  doubting  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  would 
give  her  consent  to  that  arrangement,  on  a  deliberate 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        229 

consideration  of  the  subject.  In  a  letter  to  the  Asso- 
ciation, dated  at  Chicago,  June  fifth,  Mrs.  Lincoln  still 
objected  to  that  location.  On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
month,  it  was  decided  by  a  majority  of  one,  in  a  full 
Board  of  Directors,  to  build  the  Monument  in  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery.  Six  acres  of  land  were  donated  by 
the  city  of  Springfield,  and  conveyed  to  the  Asssocia- 
tion  as  a  site  for  the  Monument. 

Measures  were  at  once  taken  to  erect  a  temporary 
vault,  near  that  belonging  to  the  cemetery.  Th» 
object  in  building  a  temporary  vault,  was  that  the 
remains  might  be  deposited  there  until  the  Monu- 
ment could  be  completed,  and  thus  vacate  the  public 
vault.  The  temporary  vault  was  completed  before 
winter,  and  a  notice  given  to  Mrs.  Lincoln,  at  Chi- 
cago, that  the  Association  was  ready  to  remove  the 
body  of  her  late  husband ;  that  it  would  be  done  with- 
out public  display,  and  asked  her  to  name  the  time 
that  it  would  be  convenient  for  her  to  be  present.  She 
replied,  saying  that  December  21,  at  three  o'clock  p.  m., 
would  suit  her.  A  day  or  two  previous  to  the  time 
fixed  for  the  removal,  Mrs.  Lincoln,  with  her  son  Rob- 
ert, came  to  Springfield,  and  visited  the  new  tomb. 
She  expressed  herself  well  pleased  with  what  had  been 
done,  but  a  sudden  indisposition  prevented  her  being 
present  when  the  removal  took  place.  In  process  of 
transferring  the  remains,  the  box  containing  the  coffin 
was  opened,  in  order  that  the  features  of  the  deceased 
might  be  seen,  and  six  of  his  personal  acquaintances 
filed  a  written  statement  with  the  Secretary  of  the 
Association,  that  it  was  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
beyond  a  doubt.  This  was  deemed  advisable,  to 
keep  the  evidence  of  identity  unbroken  through  the 
changes  necessary  to  be  made  before  the  completion  of 
his  final  resting  place. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  one  son  who  died  in  childhood, 
many  years  ago,  and  was  buried  in  Hutchinson  ceme- 
tery, near  the  city.  His  body  was  removed  to  the  tern- 


230  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

porary  vault  also,  and  it  then  contained  the  bodies  of 
the  father  and  two  sons,  Eddie  and  Willie.  Edward 
was  named  for  Col.  E.  D.  Baker — who  was  killed  at 
Ball's  Bluff — between  whom  and  Mr.  Lincoln  the 
warmest  friendship  always  existed.  I  must  digress 
here,  to  say  that  I  have  been  informed  by  one  who 
knows,  that  in  one  of  the  finest  cemeteries  of  San 
Francisco,  the  grave  of  that  pure  and  eloquent  states- 
man and  brave  soldier,  is  the  only  one  that  is  neglected. 
Is  there  no  lover  of  free  institutions,  and  admirer  of 
genius  in  that  city,  who  will  see  that  the  stain  is  re- 
moved ? 

Figure  No.  3  was  engraved  from  a  photograph  of 
the  temporary  vault.  It  stood  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  about  fifty  yards  northeast  of  the  monument.  It 
was  removed  late  in  the  autumn  of  1871,  and  the  site 
where  it  stood  graded  down  about  fifteen  feet. 

Early  in  1868,  the  Association  advertised  a  "Notice 
to  Artists,"  offering  $1000  for  the  best  design  for  a 
monument,  with  the  usual  conditions,  and  named  the 


(Fig.  3.) 

TKMPOKARY  VAULT   AT   OAK   1UDGE. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        231 

first  of  September  as  tKe  day  for  the  examination. 
Thirty-seven  designs,  by  thirty-one  artists — six  of  them 
sending  two  each — were  received  and  placed  on  exhi- 
bition in  the  Senate  Chamber. 

They  came  from  the  following  States :  Illinois — 
Chicago,  John  Wesley  Hooper,  Henry  L.  Gay,  H. 
Schroff,  Cochrane  &  Piquenard,  one  each,  and  from 
L.  W.  Volk,  two ;  Mattoon,  J.  E.  Hummell,  one ; 
Bloomington,  J.  It.  &  J.  S.  Haldeman,  one ;  Quincy, 
C.  G.  Volk,  two  ;  Springfield,  Joseph  Baum  and  E.  E. 
Myers,  one  each,  making  a  total  of  twelve.  Wisconsin — 
Milwaukee,  N.  Merrill,  two.  Iowa — Jefferson,  Henry 
Goodman,  one.  Indiana — Logansport,  William  Em- 
mett,  and  Indianapolis,  J.  H.  Vrydagh,  one  each. 
Ohio — Toledo,  W.  H.  Macher,  one,  and  Cincinnati, 
Thomas  D.  Jones,  two.  Massachusetts — Boston,  C.  B. 
Odiorne  and  Miss  Harriet  E.  Hosmer,  one  each.  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia — Washington,  Miss  Vinnie  Ream, 
one.  Kentucky — Louisville,  M.  S.  Belknap,  one. 
Missouri — St.  Louis,  J.  Beattie,  Charles  Bullitt,  R.  H. 
Follenius,  McLaren  &  Baldwin,  one  each.  New  York — 
Brooklyn,  Horwan  &  Maurer,  two.  Pennsylvania — 
Philadelphia,  J.  H.  Bailey  &  H.  H.  Lovie,  A.  E.  Har- 
wicke,  J.  H.  Hazeltine,  E.  N.  Scherr,  one  each.  Con- 
necticut— Hartford,  J.  G.  Batterson,  one.  Vermont — 
Brattleboro,  Larkin  G.  Mead,  Jr.,  two ;  making  a  total 
of  thirty -seven. 

Some  of  these  designs  would  have  cost  a  million  dol- 
lars each  to  put  them  into  execution.  Five  days  were 
occupied  in  studying  them,  when  the  board  adjourned 
to  meet  again  on  the  tenth  of  the  month.  They  re- 
assembled on  the  tenth,  and  continued  to  the  eleventh, 
when  it  was 

Resolved,  That  this  Association  adopt  the  design — one  of  them — 
submitted  by  Larkin  G.  Mead,  Jr.,  to  be  constructed  of  granite 
and  bronze,  and  that  the  whole  matter  be  referred  to  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  with  power  to  act. 


232  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Thooe  voting  in  the  affirmative  were,  Bateman,  Bev- 
eridge,  Bunn,  Conkling,  Dennis,  Dubois,  Hatch,  Mel- 
vin,  Miner,  Stuart,  Treat,  Williams  and  Phillips.  In 
the  negatiye,  Mr.  Tyndale.  Absent  or  not  voting, 
Gov.  Oglesby. 

The  Association  then  entered  into  a  contract  with 
Mr.  Mead,  to  erect  the  monument,  together  with  the 
statuary,  and  all  the  accessories  necessary  to  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  design.  It  was  soon  after  ascertained  that 
it  was  Mr.  Mead's  intention  to  let  the  contract  for  the 
architectural  part  of  the  work  and  return  to  Italy, 
where  he  had  been  residing  for  several  years.  Then  it 
was  mutually  agreed  to  annul  the  existing  contract, 
and  a  new  one  was  entered  into  on  the  thirtieth  of  De- 
cember, in  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the  Association 
was  to  manage  the  building  of  the  architectural  part 
of  the  monument,  and  that  it  should  be  done  strictly 
after  the  drawings  and  specifications  of  Mr.  Mead. 
On  his  part,  Mr.  Mead  was  to  mould,  cast  and  deliver 
all  the  statuary  required  by  and  necessary  to  his  design, 
namely. 

1.  A  statue   of  Lincoln,  not  less  than  ten  feet  high, 
for  $13,700. 

2.  A  group  representing  infantry,  containing  three 
figures  and  appropriate  accessories,  the  figures  to  be 
not  less  than  seven  and  a  half  feet  high,  for  $13,700. 

3.  A  group  of  cavalry,  to    contain  a  horse  and  two 
human  figures,  with  appropriate  accessories,  the  human 
figures  to  be  not  less  than  seven  and  a  half  feet  high, 
and  the  horse  in  proportion,  for  the  sum  of  $13,700. 

4.  A  group  of  artillery,  to  contain  three  figures  and 
appropriate  accessories,  the  figures  to  be  not  less  than 
seven  and  a  half  feet  high,  for  $13,700. 

5.  A  marine  group,  to  contain  three  figures  and  ap- 
propriate accessories,  the  figures  to  be  not  less  than 
seven  and  a  half  feet  high,  for  $13,700. 

6.  The  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States,  as  shown 
in  the  specifications,  for  $1,500,   making  a  total  of 
$70,000. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       233 

It  was  a  part  of  the  contract,  that  the  Association 
was  to  have  the  right  to  order  one  or  more  of  these 
pieces  or  groups  at  a  time,  to  suit  its  own  convenience, 
and  that  it  was  not  under  obligations  to  pay  for  any 
piece  until  a  written  order  was  given  for  the  work  to 
proceed.  When  a  written  order  was  given,  one-third 
of  the  stipulated  price  was  to  accompany  it,  one-third 
to  be  paid  when  the  plaster  model  was  delivered  at  the 
foundry  where  it  was  to  be  cast,  and  the  remaining 
third  when  the  work  was  completed  and  delivered  in 
good  order,  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  It  was  also  stipu- 
lated in  the  contract,  that  if  cannon  were  donated  to 
be  used  in  the  statuary,  the  value  thereof  should  be 
deducted  from  the  price.  It  was  further  agreed,  that 
if  any  donations  of  freight  were  made,  it  should  be  to 
the  Association,  and  not  to  Mr.  Mead. 

On  the  back  of  this  contract,  Mr.  Mead  gave  the 
signatures  of  five  business  men  of  New  York  city, 
binding  themselves  in  the  penal  sum  of  $5,000  each, 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  contract  on  his 
part.  A  note,  also  an  the  back  of  this  contract,  over 
the  signature  of  John  J.  Cisco,  of  New  York,  ex- 
presses the  opinion  that  the  bond  is  good  and  suffi- 
cient. 

On  the  seventh  day  of  May,  1869,  the  Board  of 
Directors,  under  the  above  contract,  instructed  the 
Executive  Committee  to  order  the  statue  of  Lincoln 
and  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States,  and  to  ac- 
company the  order  with  one  third  of  the  money,  as  per 
contract. 

After  advertising  for  proposals  to  erect  the  monu- 
ment— excepting  the  statuary — and  receiving  five  or 
six  bids,  that  of  W.  D.  Richardson,  of  Springfield,  was 
accepted.  A  contract  was  then  entered  into,  between 
the  Association  and  Mr.  Richardson,  in  which  he 
agreed  to  erect  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  in 
Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  according  to  the  plans  and  speci- 
fications adopted  by  the  Association,  for  the  sura  of 


234  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

$136.550.  He  was  to  build  the  foundation  during  the 
year  1869,  and  the  superstructure  by  January  1,  1871. 
The  Association  agreed  to  pay  Mr.  Richardson  the 
sum  above  named,  and  for  the  purpose  designated,  by 
monthly  estimates  as  the  work  progressed,  fifteen  per 
cent  of  which  was  to  be  withheld  until  the  work  was 
completed  according  to  contract,  when  the  total  amount 
remaining  should  be  paid.  Mr.  Richardson  gave  am- 
ple security,  under  a  penalty  of  $50,000,  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  the  contract  on  his  part. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


Arrangements  having  been  previously  made,  the 
Board  of  Directors  held  a  special  meeting  in  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery,  September  9,  1869.  After  calling 
the  roll,  a  brief  but  fervent  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev. 
Albert  Hale,  invoking  God's  blessing  on  the  work  they 
were  about  to  commence.  The  president  of  the  Asso- 
ciation being  absent,  the  vice  president,  Hon.  Jesse  K. 
Dubois,  at  the  request  of  the  board,  made  the  follow- 
ing statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Associa- 
tion : 

U.  8.  5-20  bonds,  on  special  deposit  with  J.  Bunn $66,300  00 

Premium  on  said  bonds,  at  present  value 13,260  00 

Cash  in  bank 2,023  46 

Notes  on  individuals. 80  00 

Illinois  State  bonds,  on  special  deposit  with  J.  Bunn. .  17,000  00 

Illinois  State  appropriation 50,000  00 

Estimated  value  of  cannon  donated  by  Congress 5,000  00 

Paid  to  Larkiu  G.  Mead  on  contract  for  statuary 5,000  00 


Total  assets $158,663  46 

Mr.  Dubois  also  made  a  statement  of  all  the  con- 
tracts entered  into  by  the  Association,  in  consequence 
of  which  the  following  liabilities  were  incurred : 

To  W.  D.  Richardson,  for  building  monument $136,550  00 

To  Larkin  Q.  Mead,  for  statute  of  Lincoln  and  coat  of 
arms 15,200  00 


Total  liabilities $151,750  00 


Balance,  after  meeting  all  liabilities • $6,913  46 


236  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Mr.  Dubois  said  that,  if  no  misfortune  befel  the 
Association,  it  could,  by  January  1,  1871,  have  the 
monument  completed,  except  the  four  groups  of  statu- 
ary, and  be  out  of  debt,  with  a  small  balance  in  the 
treasury.  He  expressed  the  hope  that  the  American 
people,  or  separate  States  or  cities,  would  furnish  the 
means  to  pay  for  the  remaining  groups  of  statuary, 
that  the  monument  might  stand  complete  and  sym- 
metrical, a  fitting  emblem  of  the  character  and  virtues 
of  the  man  it  was  designed  to  honor. 

Vice  President  Dubois  closed  his  statement  by  say- 
ing :  "  In  obedience  to  the  order  of  your  board,  and 
to  testify  their  and  my  approbation  of  all  that  has  been 
done,  it  is  my  pleasure  now  to  begin  the  work,  by 
throwing  out  the  first  shovelful  of  earth." 

Mr.  Richardson  had  his  materials  on  the  ground, 
and  before  winter  closed  in,  had  the  foundation  com- 
pleted, doing  all  his  contract  required  for  the  year  1869. 

When  the  work  was  about  to  commence,  the  Asso- 
ciation reorganized  its  Executive  Committee,  so  that  it 
was  composed  of  the  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Jacob  Bunn 
and  John  Williams. 

Mr.  Stuart,  as  previously  intimated,  was  the  preceptor 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  study  of  the  law,  and  fur- 
nished him  the  library  for  that  purpose.  They  were 
also  partners  in  practice  from  1837  to  1840,  when  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Stuart 
being  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States  House  of 
Representatives. 

I  shall  now  endeavor  to  describe  the  monument. 
The  excavation  for  the  central  part,  or  that  on  which 
the  main  shaft  rises,  is  twenty-three  and  a  half  feet 
deep,  and  seventeen  feet  square.  The  bottom  of  the 
excavation  is  filled  with  concrete,  the  whole  seventeen 
feet  square,  to  the  depth  of  eight  feet.  (See  Fig.  7.)  On 
this  concrete,  the  whole  seventeen  feet  square  is  built  up 
with  solid  masonry  of  block  stone,  to  a  height  of  thirty- 
nine  feet  and  four  inches.  The  stone  is  all  dressed 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       237 

true  and  square,  and  is  very  heavy,  some  of  the  pieces 
weighing  several  tons  each.  The  excavations  for  all 
the  outer  walls  and  piers  are  six  feet  deep.  The  walls 
commence  with  two  feet  depth  of  concrete.  There  is 
a  round  pier,  fifteen  feet  in  diameter — at  the  bottom — 
at  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  central  shaft.  These 
piers  are  built  up  to  a  height  of  twenty-eight  feet  and 
four  inches  above  the  ground  line,  and  are  tapered  to 
form  a  pedestal  of  eleven  feet  diameter  at  the  top. 

There  are  three  straight  walls  on  each  side  of  the 
central  shaft,  parallel  with  its  sides,  and  at  equal  dis- 
tances from  each  other.  These  walls  are  all  joined  to 
the  round  piers.  The  central  shaft,  pedestals,  and 
walls  touching  the  .pedestals,  form  a  square  of  fifty -four 
feet,  with  rounded  corners.  There  is  another  wall  out- 
side of  all  these,  nearly  ten  feet  distant,  the  whole  form- 
ing a  square  of  seventy-two  feet  six  inches.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  walls,  there  is  an  oval  room  thirty-two 
and  a  half  feet  long  and  twenty-four  feet  wide,  in  the 
clear.  About  half  of  it  projects  from  the  south  side, 
and  the  other  half  extends  inward,  nearly  to  the  base 
of  the  obelisk.  This  room  is  called  Memorial  Hall, 
and  is  designed  to  be  a  repository  for  articles  used  by, 
or  in  any  way  associated  with  the  memory  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  interior  wall  is  planed  Illinois  stone, 
and  inside  of  that,  a  few  inches,  is  a  lining  of  Vermont 
marble  in  panel  work,  extending  in  dome  groined 
arches,  to  form  the  ceiling,  all  supported  by  a  series 
of  Doric  columns.  This  Hall  is  entered  from  the 
ground  by  a  door  at  the  south.  (See  Fig.  4.) 

At  the  north  side  there  is  a  similar  projection,  called 
the  Vestibule  to  the  Catacomb.  It  is  finished  inside 
the  same  as  Memorial  Hall,  except  that  the  floor  is  of 
black  and  white  marble  instead  of  Illinois  stone.  It 
is  entered  by  a  door  from  the  north.  (See  Fig.  4.) 

The  ground  plan  is  one  hundred  and  nineteen  and 
a  half  feet  from  north  to  south,  and  seventy-two  and 
a  half  feet  from  east  to  west.  The  walls  shown  in  Fig- 


238  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 


(Fig.  4.) 

GROUND   PLAN    OF   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        239 

ure  4  are  all  fourteen  feet  and  four  inches  high.  Arches 
are  sprung  from  one  to  another  at  the  top,  and  heavy 
iron  beams  or  joists,  with  flanges  on  the  lower  edge, 
are  laid  across  Memorial  Hall  and  the  Catacomb. 
Arches  are  sprung  from  one  of  these  beams  to  another, 
beginning  on  the  flanges  at  the  bottom  of  the  iron 
beams.  The  upper  part  of  this  series  of  arches  is 
brought  to  an  even  surface  by  filling  the  depressions 
with  concrete.  On  top  of  this,  embedded  in  cement, 
is  a  covering  of  immense  slabs  of  Illinois  stone,  planed 
to  a  uniform  thickness  of  about  eight  inches,  which 
brings  the  whole  area  of  seventy-two  and  a  half  feet 
square,  and  the  half  circular  projections  over  Memorial 
Hall  and  the  Catacomb,  up  to  fifteen  feet  ten  inches  in 
height.  Figure  5  is  an  illustration  of  this  area,  which 
is  called  the  Terrace. 

You  can  ascend  to  the  Terrace  by  either  of  four 
flights  of  granite  steps,  one  at  each  corner.  The  two 
on  the  south  land  over  Memorial  Hall,  and  the  two  at 
the  north  over  the  Catacomb.  The  flagging  stone  that 
makes  the  Terrace,  and  at  the  same  time  a  roof  for 
everything  below,  is  laid  with  sufficient  inclination 
outward  to  carry  off  the  water. 

A  heavy  granite  balustrade  ascends  on  the  outside 
of  each  stairway,  and  is  extended  so  as  to  form  a  para- 
pet around  the  Terrace  and  over  the  Catacomb  and 
Memorial  Hall.  A  small  section  of  the  parapet  may 
be  seen  on  each  end  of  Figure  7. 

The  Catacomb  now  consists  of  five  crypts,  side  by 
side,  elevated  three  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  vestibule. 
The  crypts  are  three  feet  square,  and  seven  feet  from 
north  to  south.  Figure  6,  is  an  elevation  fronting 
north,  of  the  five  crypts  as  they  appeared  before  the 
marble  panel  work  was  put  in  place.  Now  the  cen- 
tral crypt  is  the  only  one  visible.  In  it  there  is  a 
marble  Sarcophagus,  containing  all  that  was  mortal 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


'240  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 


ig.  5.) 

THE   TERRACE. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       241 


(Fig.  6.) 

ELEVATION  OP  THE   CKYPTS. 

The  Catacomb  and  Memorial  Hall  are  each  lighted 
by  six  openings,  and  each  opening  is  designed  to  be 
closed  by  a  single  piece  of  plate  glass,  when  necessary. 

The  central  shaft,  being  seventeen  feet  square  at  the 
bottom,  as  it  rises  is  reduced  to  twelve  feet  square  on 
the  outside,  a_t  the  top  of  the  Terrace,  and  tapers  to 
eight  feet  square  at  the  apex,  ninety-eight  feet  four  and 
a  half  inches  from  the  ground.  The  outside  is  dressed 
granite,  and  the  inside  hard  burned  brick.  The  shaft, 
or  obelisk,  is  hollnv  from  the  terrace  to  the  top,  eighty- 
two  and  a  half  feet.  The  opening  is  six  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  perfectly  round.  Fastenings  were  built  in  the 
wall,  as  the  work  progressed,  for  the  support  of  a  cir- 
cular iron  stairway,  which  ascends  from  the  entrance, 
over  the  Terrace,  as  shown  in  Figure  5,  and  ends  in  a 
platform  of  iron,  just  near  enough  the  cap  stone  to 
leave  convenient  room  for  standing  erect.  Each  step 
is  fastened  to  the  wall  by  two  iron  bolts,  the  other 
end  is  attached  to  a  central  iron  shaft,  which  extends 
from  bottom  to  top.  Figure  7  presents  an  interior  view 
of  the  construction  of  the  stairway. 
16 


242  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

One-third  of  the  way  from  the  Terrace  to  the  top, 
there  is  a  circular  window,  one  foot  in  diameter,  on 
each  of  the  four  sides.  Two-thirds  of  the  way  up, 
there  are  four  similar  windows.  At  the  top,  and  at  a 
convenient  height  to  stand  on  the  platform  and  look 
out,  there  are  twelve  of  these  windows,  three  on  each 
side.  Each  one  was  intended  to  have  been  closed  by  a 
single  piece  of  plate  glass,  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
thick,  but  it  has  been  found  necessary  thus  far  to  leave 
them  open,  to  afford  ventilation  as  well  as  light. 

The  study  of  Figure  7  will  enable  the  reader  to  un- 
derstand the  interior  construction  of  the  monument 
better  than  a  Avritten  description  only. 

It  is  as  though  the  monument  was  cut  exactly  through 
the  centre,  from  north  to  south,  and  you  were  standing 
at  the  west,  facing  the  east,  and  looking  at  the  eastern 
half.  You  see  how  the  arches  are  sprung  from  one 
wall  to  another,  to  support  the  stone  flagging  which 
forms  the  Terrace.  The  south  end,  or  that  to  the  right, 
shows  the  interior  of  Memorial  Hall,  and  the  north  end, 
or  that  to  the  left,  shows  the  interior  of  the  Catacomb, 
without  any  attempt  to  illustrate  the  crypts.  The  let- 
ter S  indicates  that  the  material  used  is  stone,  and  the 
letter  B,  brick.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  founda- 
tion of  the  obelisk  is  sunk  much  deeper  than  the  other 
walls.  The  spiral  stairway  is  seen  commencing  on  a 
level  with  the  Terrace.  A  small  section  of  the  granite 
parapet,  which  extends  around  the  Terrace,  is  seen  at 
each  end  of  the  cut.  The  small  light  spots  in  Memorial 
Hall  and  the  Catacomb,  are  the  small  windows  previ- 
ously described.  The  elevation  at  the  south  side  is  a 
profile  of  the  pedestal  for  the  statue  of  Lincoln.  It  is 
thirty-five  and  a  half  feet  above  the  ground  line,  and 
nineteen  feet  eight  inches  above  the  Terrace. 

In  preparing  the  granite  for  the  monument,  a  series 
of  ashlars,  two  feet  by  two  feet  nine  inches,  are  so 
dressed  that  each  presents  the  appearance  of  a  raised 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       243 


244  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

shield.  The  names  of  the  States  are  engraved  on  these 
shields.  The  shortest  are  given  in  full,  and  the  longest 
abbreviated.  These  shields  form  a  part  of  the  wall, 
around  the  entire  base,  and  the  four  pedestals,  alter- 
nating with  an  ashlar  of  the  same  size.  On  each  of 
these  alternating  ashlars,  are  two  raised  bands,  running 
horizontally,  giving  to  the  States  the  appearance  of 
being  linked  together,  as  it  were,  by  an  endless  chain. 
The  body  of  the  granite  is  dressed  to  a  true  surface, 
and  the  bands  and  letters  are  polished.  To  complete 
a  course  around  the  edifice,  there  were  three  more 
shields  than  the  whole  number  of  States.  These  three 
are  built  in  at  the  east  side,  and  left  blank,  ready  to 
receive  the  names  of  any  States  that  may  hereafter  be 
admitted.  (See  Fig.  10.) 

The  following  is  the  order  in  which  the  States  are 
placed,  beginning  on  the  east  side,  at  the  right  of  the 
blanks,  and  continuing  to  the  right  around  the  monu- 
ment. The  names  of  the  original  thirteen  States  are 
first  given,  and  then  the  newer  States,  in  the  chrono- 
logical order  of  their  admission  into  the  Union.  As 
the  names  of  the  States  are  all  abbreviated,  except 
two,  I  first  give  the  abbreviation  exactly  as  it  is  on  the 
stone,  and  immediately  follow  it  with  the  name  in  full. 

Va.  for  Virginia ;  N.  Y.  New  York ;  Mass.  Massa- 
chusetts ;  N.  H.  New  Hampshire ;  N.  J.  New  Jersey ; 
Del.  Delaware  ;  Conn.  Connecticut ;  Md.  Maryland ; 
R.  I.  Rhode  Island;  N.  C.  North  Carolina;  S.  C. 
South  Carolina ;  Penn.  Pennsylvania ;  Ga.  Georgia ; 
Vt.  Vermont;  Ky.  Kentucky;  Tenn. Tennessee ;  Ohio; 
La.  Louisiana ;  Ind.  Indiana ;  Miss.  Mississppi ;  Ills. 
Illinois  ;  Ala.  Alabama ;  Me.  Maine  ;  Mo.  Missouri ; 
Ark.  Arkansas ;  Mich.  Michigan ;  Tex.  Texas ;  Fla. 
Florida;  Iowa;  Wis.  Wisconsin;  Cal.  California; 
Minn.  Minnesota ;  On.  Oregon ;  Kan.  Kansas ;  W.  Va. 
West  Virginia;  Nev.  Nevada;  Neb.  Nebraska ;  ending 
at  the  left  of  the  three  blank  shields. 

This  cordon  of  States  is  twenty-three  feet  above  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       245 

ground,  seven  feet  above  the  Terrace,  and  three  feet 
below  the  top  of  the  pedestals  on  which  the  four 
groups  of  statuary  are  to  stand,  previously  described 
as  representing  the  Infantry,  Cavalry,  Artillery,  and 
the  Navy.  The  names  of  the  States,  as  above  described, 
and 

LINCOLN, 

in  raised  letters  on  the  front  of  the  pedestal  for  his 
statue,  constitute  the  whole  of  the  inscriptions  on  the 
monument.  Figure  8  is  a  view  of  one  of  the  four 
round  pedestals. 


(Fig.  8.) 

ROUND   PEDESTAL. 


This  is  one  of  the  four  for  the  support  of  the  groups 
of  statuary,  and  is  situated  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  monument,  showing  that  part  of  it  above  the  Ter- 
race. The  tablets  are  all  of  the  same  size,  but  the 
pedestal  being  round,  as  it  recedes,  Missouri,  on  the 


THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

right,  and  Illinois,  on  the  left,  are  apparently  dimin- 
ished in  width.  The  left  edge  of  the  tablet — 111.— 
forms  the  inside  of  the  corner,  as  it  joins  the  square 
base  of  the  obelisk,  which  brings  Mississippi  on  a 
straight  surface.  The  bands  or  links  connecting  the 
tablets  are  well  illustrated. 


(Fig.  9.) 

U.  S.  COAT  OF  ARMS. 

Th.e  statue  of  Mr.  Lincoln  stands  on  a  pedestal  pro- 
jecting from  the  south  side  of  the  obelisk,  seven  feet 
higher  than  the  four  round  pedestals.  The  pedestal 
bearing  the  statue  of  Lincoln  has  the  United  States 
Coat  of  Arms,  in  bronze,  sunk  in  a  recess  on  its  front. 
The  Coat  of  Arms,  ag  shown  in  Figure  9,  is  somewhat 
modified,  and  is  in  bas  relief. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  shield,  with  part  of  the 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        247 

stars  obscured,  supports  the  American  Eagle.  The 
olive  branch  on  the  ground  shows,  that  having  been 
tendered  until  it  was  spurned  by  the  rebels,  it  was 
then  cast  under  foot.  Then  the  conflict  began,  and 
raged  until  the  chain  of  slavery  was  torn  asunder,  one 
part  remaining  grasped  in  the  talons  of  the  eagle,  and 
the  other  held  aloft  in  his  beak.  The  coat  of  arms, 
in  the  position  it  occupies  on  the  monument,  is  intended 
to  typify  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, on  the  pedestal  above  it,  makes  the  whole  an  illus- 
tration of  his  position  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion. 
He  took  his  stand  on  the  Constitution,  as  his  authority 
for  using  the  four  arms  of  the  war  power  of  the  Gov- 
ernment— the  Infantry,  Cavalry,  Artillery,  and  the 
Navy,  which  are  to  be  represented  in  groups  around 
him — to  hold  together  the  States,  which  are  represented 
still  lower  on  the  monument,  by  a  cordon  of  tablets, 
linking  them  together,  as  it  were,  in  a  perpetual  bond 
of  Union. 

The  statue  of  Lincoln  is  the  central  figure  in  the 
group,  or  series  of  groups.  There  is  nothing  visible, 
on  all  the  exterior,  except  granite  and  bronze.  You 
enter  the  shaft,  or  obelisk,  on  a  level  with  the  Terrace, 
at  the  south  side,  under  the  statue  of  Lincoln,  and 
ascend  the  spiral  stairway  seventy-seven  feet,  which 
brings  you  to  the  platform  at  the  top,  previously  de- 
scribed. The  floor  of  this  platform  is  made  of  iron, 
and  is  ninety-two  feet  from  the  ground.  The  monu- 
ment being  on  almost  as  high  ground  as  any  within 
several  miles  of  the  city,  affords  a  fine  prospect  of 
Springfield  and  the  surrounding  country.  Figure  10 
is  an  accurate  representation  of  the  monument  from 
the  southeast,  as  it  will  appear  when  completed,  and  as 
it  now  appears,  with  the  exception  of  the  statuary. 
The  door  on  the  ground  is  the  entrance  to  Memorial 
Hall ;  that  on  the  Terrace,  the  entrance  to  the  obelisk. 
The  Catacomb  is  on  the  opposite  side,  and  consequently 


248 


THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 


(Fig.  10.) 
NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT,  SPRINGFIELD,  ILL. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       249 

does  not  appear  in  this  picture,  but  it  is  entered  by  a 
door  on  the  ground,  the  same  as  that  to  Memorial  Hall. 
In  order  to  make  it  more  easily  understood,  I  will 
recapitulate  the  dimensions.  The  base  is  seventy-two 
and  a  half  feet  square,  and  with  the  circular  projection 
of  the  Catacomb  on  the  north,  and  Memorial  Hall  on 
the  south,  the  extreme  length  on  the  ground  from  north 
to  south  is  one  hundred  and  nineteen  and  a  half  feet. 
Height  of  the  Terrace,  fifteen  feet  ten  inches.  From 
the  Terrace  to  the  apex  of  the  Obelisk,  eighty-two  feet 
six  and  a  half  inches.  From  the  grade  line  to  the  top 
of  the  four  round  pedestals,  twenty-eight  feet  four 
inches,  and  to  the  top  of  the  pedestal  for  the  Lincoln 
statue,  thirty-five  and  a  half  feet.  Total  'height  from 
ground  line  to  apex  of  Obelisk,  ninety-eight  feet  four 
and  a  half  inches.  The  above  measurements  were 
taken  by  T.  J.  Dennis  in  January,  1872. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 


I  have  said  that  Memorial  Hall  would  be  the  re- 
ceptacle for  articles  that  had  been  used  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, or  in  any  way  associated  with  his  memory. 
There  is  a  stone  preserved  in  the  Hall,  which  will 
furnish  food  for  reflection  to  all  lovers  of  liberty,  but 
to  those  whose  meditative  faculties  are  fully  developed, 
the  study  of  it  will  be  a  rich  feast. 

All  historians  are  aware  that  much  of  the  early  his- 
tory of  Rome  is  obscure  and  traditional,  and  that  some 
of  her  reputed  rulers  are  regarded,  by  a  portion  of  the 
early  historical  writers,  as  mere  creatures  of  the  imag- 
ination, whilst  others  who  are  entitled  to  equal  cre- 
dence, regard  what  is  related  of  them  as,  in  the  main, 
true. 

Taking  all  the  light  that  can  be  obtained  on  the  sub- 
ject, the  following  is -thought  to  be  a  correct  version 
of  the  life  of  Servius  Tullius :  He  is  said  to  have  been 
the  sixth  king  of  Rome.  It  is  stated  that  he  ascended 
the  throne  578  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ.  He 
was  of  obscure  origin,  and  his  history  mingled  with 
pagan  mythology.  It  is  intimated  that  one  or  both  of 
his  parents  were  slaves.  The  policy  of  his  reign  was 
to  better  the  condition  of  the  common  people  by  every 
means  he  could  devise,  and  to  raise  them  to  an  equality 
with  their  rulers,  so  far  as  the  right  to  life  and  prop- 
erty was  concerned.  It  is  even  asserted  that  he 'was 
aiming  to  qualify  them  to  be  their  own  rulers,  with  a 
view  to  abolishing  the  kingly  office.  He  discharged 
the  debts  of  his  indigent  subjects  from  his  own  private 
revenues,  and  deprived  the  creditor  of  the  power  of 
seizing  the  body  of  the  debtor,  restricting  him  to  the 
goods  and  chattels  for  the  liquidation  of  his  claims. 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       251 

At  the  time  his  reign  commenced,  the  city  was  com- 
posed of  but  four  hills :  the  Palatine,  the  Tarpeian — 
now  called  the  Capitoline — the  Aventine  and  the  Cselian. 
The  king  manifested  his  public  spirit  by  adding  the 
Viminal,the  Esquiline  and  the  Quirinal,  making  Rome, 
at  that  ancient  date,  the  city  of  the  seven  hills.  Hav- 
ing enlarged  its  boundaries,  he  enclosed  it  with  a  stone 
wall  which  was  ever  after  called  by  his  own  name.  His 
reign  was  eminently  peaceful  and  tempered  with  kind- 
ness and  benevolence.  In  his  efforts  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  common  people,  and  confer  upon  them 
the  right  to  take  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  State,  thus, 
for  the  first  time,  making  them  politically  independent, 
he  established  a  constitution  for  their  government. 

Already  jealous  of  his  love  for  the  common  people, 
this  last  act  of  the  king  aroused  all  the  latent  malig- 
nity of  the  wealthy  classes,  or  those  claiming  to  be  the 
nobility,  and  they  determined  upon  his  destruction. 
,  He  had  no  sous,  but  two  daughters,  both  of  whom 
were  married.  His  daughter  Tullia  put  her  husband 
to  death.  Lucius  Tarquinius,  who  had  married  the 
other  daughter,  put  her  to  death  and  then  took  her  sis- 
ter Tullia  to  wife.  Tarquinius  plotted  with  the  nobles, 
and  at  the  head  of  an  armed  mob,  in  the  summer,  when 
the  commoners  were  gathering  their  harvests,  he  entered 
the  forum  and  seated  himself  on  the  throne.  The  king, 
unconscious  of  danger,  while  going  from  one  part  of 
the  city  to  another,  was  struck  down  and  assassinated 
in  the  streets  by  some  of  the  followers  of  his  treacher- 
ous and  ungrateful  son-in-law.  His  body  was  left 
where  it  fell  until  the  chariot  of  his  daughter  Tullia 
was  driven  over  it  by  her  own  directions.  Thus  passed 
away  king  Servius  Tullius,  538  years  before  the  birth 
of  Christ,  in  the  fortieth  year  of  his  reign. 

What  were  called  the  walls  of  Servius  Tullius,  were 
the  walls  of  Rome  for  about  700  years,  or  until  the 
reign  of  the  Emperor  Aurelius,  which  commenced  in 
the  year  138  of  the  Christian  era. 


252  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

The  constitution  Driven  to  the  Roman  people  by  Ser- 
vius  Tullius,  and  which  is  believed  to  be  historical, 
never  came  into  force,  but  was  swept  away  with  all  his 
other  reforms,  soon  after  -his  successor  ascended  the 
throne.  Instead  of  the  happy  condition  in  which  the 
good  king  hoped  and  labored  to  place  the  Roman  peo- 
ple, they  were  plunged  into  the  deepest  abyss  of  woe 
by  Tarquinius,  whose  oppressions  of  the  poor  were  so 
great  that  many  slew  themselves,  and  the  historians  say, 
that  "in  the  days  of  Tarquinius,  the  tyrant,  it  was  hap- 
pier to  die  than  to  live." 

During  all  the  centuries  of  oppression  and  tyranny 
through  which  Rome  has  grown  hoary,  there  has  been 
a  chosen  few  who  loved  liberty  and  justice.  When 
suffering  under  the  oppressions  of  the  aristocratic  class- 
es, they  have  kept  alive  by  their  traditions,  as  objects 
of  fond  regret,  the  memory  of  the  just  laws  of  king 
Servius  Tullius. 

Some  of  these  Roman  patriots  evidently  watched 
with  intense  interest  for  four  long  and  weary  years,  the 
struggle  in  the  new  world,  between  liberty  on  the  one 
side  and  tyranny  and  oppression  on  the  other.  They 
saw  it  terminate  in  the  destruction  of  the  slave  power, 
and  the  elevation  of  four  millions  of  the  oppressed  and 
downtrodden  of  the  human  family,  to  an  equal  right 
with  all  other  men — to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness.  They  kept  their  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  the 
man  whose  head  and  heart  and  hands  wielded  the  power 
of  the  great  liberty  loving  nation  to  consummate  these 
grand  achievements.  They  believed  that  they  saw  in 
him  an  embodiment  of  all  the  virtues  of  their  ancient 
king,  whose  memory  they  so  fondly  cherished. 

After  his  election  as  President  of  the  United  States 
for  the  second  time,  and  in  order  to  show  their  appre- 
ciation of  his  character,  and  the  parallel  between  the 
lives  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Servius  Tullius,  these 
Roman  patriots  took  from  a  fragment  of  the  wall,  where 
it  had  been  placed  by  human  hands  more  than  two 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       253 

thousand  four  hundred  years  before,  a  stone,  and  placed 
upon  it  an  inscription  and  sent  it  as  a  memorial  to 
President  Lincoln.  Figure  11  is  a  fac  simile  of  the 
stone,  with  its  inscription.  It  was  engraved  from  a 
photograph,  taken  for  the  purpose  after  its  arrival  in 
Springfield. 


(Fig.  11.) 

STONE   FROM   THE  WALL  OP  SERVIUS   TULLIUS. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  inscription : 

"  To  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  for  the  second  time,  of  the 
American  Republic,  citizens  of  Rome  present  this  stone,  from  the 
wall  of  Servius  Tullius,  by  which  the  memory  of  each  of  those 
brave  assertors  of  liberty  may  be  associated.  Anno,  1865." 

It  is  a  conglomerate  sandstone,  and  Prof.  Worthen, 
State  Geologist  for  Illinois,  says  that  it  is  possibly  an 
artificial  one.  It  is  twenty-seven  and  a  half  inches 
long,  nineteen  inches  wide,  and  eight  and  three-quarter 
inches  thick.  The  lower  edge  and  the  side  which  bears 
the  inscription  are  dressed  true ;  the  opposite  side 


254  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

shows  the  unevenness  peculiar  to  the  natural  surface 
of  a  stone — the  upper  edge  and  both  ends  are  broken 
as  if  done  with  a  hammer. 

By  authority  of  the  Hon.  Shelby  M.  Cullom  and  the 
Congressional  Records,  I  give  the  following  as  the 
American  history  of  the  stone  :  Something  like  a  year 
after  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  it  was  dis- 
covered in  the  basement  of  the  Executive  mansion, 
where  it  had  been  run  over,  covered  with  rubbish  and 
somewhat  defaced.  The  attention  of  President  John- 
son was  called  to  it,  and  he  caused  diligent  search  to  be 
made  by  the  clerks  of  the  Executive  mansion,  to  ascer- 
tain if  any  letters  had  been  received  giving  a  clue  as  to 
how  or  when  it  came.  Not  a  word  of  anything  con- 
nected with  it  could  be  found,  and  all  that  is  positively 
known  of  its  history  is  the  inscription  it  bears  on  its 
face ;  yet  no  person  acquainted  with  the  circumstances 
doubts  that  it  really  came  from  the  wall  of  Servius 
Tullius  at  Rome. 

It  is  believed  that  it  arrived  before  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  to  avoid  a  newspaper  furore,  he 
quietly  placed  it  where  it  was  afterwards  found.  When 
the  stone  was  discovered  it  was  removed  to  the  Capi- 
tol and  placed  in  the  crypt  in  the  basement,  still  de- 
priving the  public  of  any  opportunity  to  see  it.  Early 
in  June,  1870,  a  joint  resolution  was  introduced  into 
the  House  of  Representatives  at  Washington,  instruct- 
ing the  architect  of  the  Capitol  to  transfer  it  to  an 
appropriate  place  in  a  conservatory  of  the  United 
States  Botanical  Gardens.  Upon  its  coming  before 
the  House,  Mr.  Cullom  moved  the  following  substi- 
tute :  "Strike  out  all  after  the  enacting  clause  and  insert 
that  the  architect  of  the  Capitol  be,  and  he  is  hereby 
directed  to  cause  the  stone  presented  to  the  late  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  by  the  patriots  of  Rome,  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  possession  of  the  National  Lincoln  Mon- 
ument Association,  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  be  placed 
by  said  Association  in  the  monument  now  being  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 


THE    NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.  255 

In  a  brief  speech,  Mr.  Cullom  presented  some  very 
forcible  reasons  why  the  stone  should  be  placed  in  the 
monument,  and  when  he  closed,  the  resolution  was 
adopted.  Passing  both  Houses,  this  action  of  Con- 
gress was  completed  on  the  17th  of  June.  The  stone 
was  boxed  and  shipped  to  this  city  and  placed  in  the 
office  of  Vice  President  Dubois,  Sept.  15, 1870,  where 
it  remai'ned  until  August,  1871,  when  it  was  removed 
to  Memorial  Hall. 

That  stone  was  prepared  and  shipped  to  Abraham 
Lincoln  because  his  life  had  thus  far  been  similar  to  that 
of  Servius  Tullius.  Both  sprang  from  the  common  peo- 
ple ;  both,  in  their  official  capacity,  did  all  they  could 
to  elevate  and  improve  the  condition  of  the  common 
people ;  both  incurred  the  hatred  of  those  claiming  to  be 
the  nobility,  because  they  were  of  and  for  the  common 
people ;  and  both  were  assassinated  because  they  were 
endeavoring  so  to  administer  their  respective  govern- 
ments, as  to  increase  the  freedom,  happiness  and  pros- 
perity of  the  common  people.  Little  did  those  who 
put  the  inscription  on  that  stone  think  that  the  paral- 
lel in  the  lives  of  those  two  rulers  would  so  soon  be 
complete,  even  to  the  closing  tragedy  of  assassination. 
The  death  of  our  martyred  President  sealed  the  right  to 
life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness  to  every  Jiuman 
being  on  American  soil ;  but  it  required  twenty-four 
centuries  for  the  blood  of  Servius  Tullius  to  produce 
its  legitimate  fruits,  in  severing  the  manacles  which 
held  in  bondage  the  Roman  people.  King  Victor 
Emanuel  is  deserving  of  all  honor  for  the  part  he  has 
taken  in  their  elevation ;  but  they  must  make  another 
stride  by  educating  the  masses  until  they  are  prepared 
to  set  aside  a  kingly  government  for  that  of  a  republic, 
and  then  they  will  be  acting  in  the  true  spirit  of  their 
ancient  ruler. 

There  is  no  beauty  in  that  stone  to  make  it  attract- 
ive, but  the  association  of  ideas  that  cluster  around  it 
always  cause  it  to  be  an  object  of  interest.  Dur- 


256  THE  GEEAT  FUNEEAL  COETEGE, 

ing  the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  it  was  placed  by 
human  hands  in  the  wall  surrounding  the  city  of  Rome, 
continents  have  been  discovered ;  empires  have  risen 
and  fallen ;  and  more  than  seventy  generations  of  hu- 
man beings  have  sprung  from  the  earth,  acted  their 
busy  parts  and  sunk  back  into  its  bosom.  Servius 
Tullius  at  the  beginning  and  Abraham  Lincoln  at  the 
close  of  that  long  period  of  time,  were  influenced  by 
the  same  spirit  of  humanity.  Both  loved  and  trusted 
the  common  people,  and  both  were  loved  and  trusted 
in  return ;  and  because  of  that  mutual  love,  both  were 
assassinated  by  the  minions  of  tyranny  and  oppression. 
The  object  of  the  Roman  patriots  is  attained — the  names 
of  "  those  brave  assertors  of  liberty "  are  and  will  be 
associated  from  this  time  henceforth. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


In  the  preceding  chapters  I  have  endeavored  to  de- 
scribe the  appearance  which  the  structure  will  present 
when  completed.  We  will  now  see  what  has  really 
been  done.  Mr.  Mead,  who  is  a  sculptor  by  profession, 
does  not  pretend  to  be  an  architect.  After  studying 
out  the  general  design  for  the  Monument,  he  secured 
the  services  of  Mr.  Russell  Sturgis,  Jr.,  Secretary  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Architects,  located  in  New 
York  city,  to  prepare  his  drawings,  and  after  they  were 
completed,  Mr.  Mead  submitted  them  to  that  associa- 
tion for  criticism  by  its  members,  particularly  with 
reference  to  its  proportions,  and  they  gave  it  their  un- 
qualified approval.  When  the  Association  was  about 
to  adopt  it  because  of  its  general  beauty,  they  required 
improvements  in  some  of  the  minor  details.  The  most 
important  change  was  made  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
T.  J.  Dennis,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Association, 
who  prepared  drawings  for  the  purpose.  It  was  that 
of  substituting  the  present  granite  balustrade  and  para- 
pet for  the  metalic  railing  originally  designed.  As  soon 
as  arrangements  were  perfected  for  going  forward  with 
the  building,  the  necessary  drawings  and  specifications 
for  the  guidance  of  the  stone  cutters  were  prepared  by 
Mr.  Dennis  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  contractor, 
Mr.  Richardson,  who,  after  having  some  of  them  re- 
drawn, conveyed  them  to  the  stone  cutters  at  Lemont, 
near  Joliet,  Illinois,  and  the  granite  quarries  at  Quin- 
cy,  Massachusetts,  where  each  piece  was  cut,  dressed 
and  numbered  before  being  shipped  to  its  destination. 
17 


258  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

As  already  stated,  ground  was  broken  September  & 
1869,  and  the  massive  foundation  was  completed  before 
the  close  of  that  year.  When  the  spring  of  1870  opened, 
Mr.  Richardson  had  materials  ready  to  commence  the 
work  on  the  superstructure.  He  pushed  it  steadily 
forward  with  a  full  force  of  men,  expecting  to  finish 
it  during  1870,  but  there  was  so  much  delay  on  the 
part  of  the  railroads  in  bringing  the  granite  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  finish  it  within 
the  building  season. 

Work  was  resumed  early  in  the  spring  of  1871,  and 
the  cap  stone  was  elevated  to  its  position  on  the  obelisk 
Monday  morning,  May  22,  without  any  ceremonials 
whatever.  That  did  not  complete  the  work,  however, 
for  there  was  still  more  to  do  on  the  Catacomb,  Memo- 
rial Hall,  and  other  parts  of  the  terrace. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  on  the  seventh  of  May, 
1869,  orders  were  given  by  the  Association  for  Mr. 
Mead  to  proceed  with  the  work,  and  prepare  the  mod- 
els for  the  statue  of  Lincoln  and  the  coat  of  arms  of 
the  United  States.  A  newspaper  called  La  Ri/ot'ma, 
published  in  Florence,  Italy,  in  its  issue  of  February 
22,  1870,  criticises  Mr.  Mead's  work  on  the  model  of 
Lincoln,  then  far  advanced  towards  completion.  The 
article  was  translated  by  Mr.  A.  Alvey  of  this  city, 
and  published  in  the  Register.  From  his  translation  I 
make  the  following  quotations  : 

"  The  statue  which  will  arise  in  colossal  proportions  from  the 
monument  holds  in  the  left  hand  a  scroll  upon  which  is  written 
1  Emancipation,'  and  in  the  other  the  pen  with  which  Lincoln 
blotted  from  human  history  the  stain  of  slavery.  As  a  symbol 
of  Union,  to  which  he  devoted  his  existence,  the  fasces  are  placed 
near  the  statue,  upon  which  is  thrown,  in  relief,  the  glorious  ban- 
ner of  the  republic  *  *  *  At  the  foot  of  the  fasces  reclines 
a  crown  of  laurel,  that  crown  which  mankind  has  unanimously 
placed  upon  the  head  of  the  great  citizen. 

"  But  art  stops  when  life  is  to  be  infused  into  inert  matter,  and 
then  inspiration  roust  be  summoned  to  express  the  feeling  and 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       259 

sentiment  of  a  soul,  which  reflects,  as  in  a  mirror,  the  gran- 
deur of  the  hero  whose  figure  she  would  model.  *  *  * 
In  this  Avork,  Mr.  Mead  has  surpassed  our  expectations.  *  *  * 
The  Florentines  admire  the  works  of  Mr.  Mead,  and  desire  to  do 
homage  to  the  memory  of  Lincoln,  who  no  longer  belongs  exclu- 
sively to  America,  but  to  the  whole  world,  an  honor  to  the  human 
race." 

Hon.  W.  M.  Springer,  also  of  Springfield,  while 
traveling  in  Europe,  spent  several  weeks  in  Florence 
when  Mr.  Mead  was  at  work  on  the  bust  and  features 
of  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  sent  a  translation  of  the  criticism 
in  La  Riforma  to  the  Journal  of  this  place.  In  his 
accompanying  letter  he  says :  "  The  comments  of  the 
Florentine  papers  are  very  complimentary,  and  you 
have  a  right  to  conclude  that  the  statue  merits  all  that 
is  said  of  it.  Here,  where  are  found  the  finest  works 
of  Michael  Angelo  and  Canova,  and  the  renowned 
chefs  d'ceuvre  of  Greek  sculpture,  every  werk  of  this 
kind  must  stand  upon  its  own  merits.  All  who  have 
seen  Mr.  Mead's  statue  of  Mr.  Lincoln  admire  it." 
The  engraving  of  the  coat  of  arms  in  this  volume  is 
from  a  photograph  by.  L.  Powers,  a  son  of  Hiram 
Powers,  who  has  a  gallery  adjoining  the  studio  of  his 
father  in  Florence.  It  was  a  present  from  Mr.  -Mead 
to  Mrs.  Springer. 

The  models  of  the  statue  and  coat  of  arms  were 
completed  and  shipped  to  Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  ar- 
riving there  in  the  latter  part  of  October,  1870.  Hon. 
J.  C.  Conkling  of  this  city,  a  long  and  intimate  friend 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  was  at  Chicopee  in  December,  and  his 
description  of  both  models  are  similar  to  those  previ- 
ously given. 

Thomas  Lincoln  (Tad),  the  youngest  son  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  after  having  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  in  Germany  since  the  death  of  his  father,  re- 
turned with  his  mother  to  America  early  in  1871.  In 
crossing  the  Atlantic  he  contracted  a  severe  cold,  which 
terminated  in  his  death  at  Chicago,  July  15,  1871. 


260  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

The  monument  was  not  completed,  but  the  Catacomb 
was  far  enough  advanced  to  be  occupied,  and  on  Mon- 
day, the  seventeenth  of  July,  the  remains  were  brought 
to  Springfield  and  deposited  in  the  west  one  of  the  five 
crypts — that  which  is  at  the  extreme  right  on  entering 
the  vestibule. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Association  August  22,  Gover- 
nor Oglesby  was  instructed  to  confer  with  Judge  David 
Davis  of  Bloomington  and  Robert  T.  Lincoln  of  Chi- 
cago, and  they  three  were  to  agree  upon  a  day  for  the 
removal  of  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln.  After 
consultation  they  named  September  19,  at  three  o'clock 
p.  m.  The  removal  was  intended  to  be  done  privately, 
a  few  personal  friends  only  being  notified.  At  the 
time  appointed  there  were  about  two  hundred  persons 
at  the  monument  to  witness  the  event.  Of  the  fifteen 
members  of  the  Association,  thirteen  were  present, 
namely,  Oglesby,  Dubois,  Miner,  Stuart,  Conkling, 
Williams,  *Bunn,  Bateman,  Treat,  Hatch,  Melvin,  Bev- 
eridge  and  Phillips. 

When  the  remains  were  removed,  December,  21, 
1865,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Newton  Bateman,  D.  L.  Phil- 
lips, O.  M.  Hatch  and  O.  H.  Miner,  members  of  the 
Association,  signed  a  paper  stating  th-at  it  was  the 
body  of  Abraham  Lincoln  beyond  a  doubt.  In  mak- 
ing their  preparations  for  removal  on  the  forenoon  of 
September  19,  1871,  it  was  thought  that  the  embalm- 
ing was  a  failure,  and  the  remains  were  changed  from 
the  wooden  coffin  in  which  they  were  brought  from 
Washington  and  placed  in  a  metalic  casket.  The 
same  members  of  the  Association  viewed  the  corpse, 
and  again  signed  a  paper  testifying  to  the  identity  of 
the  body.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
casket  was  conveyed  to  the  Catacomb  and  deposited 
in  the  central  crypt.  As  the  time  approached  for  the 
dedication,  the  Association  made  arrangements  for 
transferring  the  remains  to  a  marble  Sarcophagus. 
They  had  all  things  in  readiness,  and  on  Friday  even- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       261 

Ing,  about  seven  o'clock,  Oct.  9,  1874,  the  body  was 
removed  from  the  casket  to  a  red  cedar  coffin  lined 
with  lead.  The  remains  were  found  to  be  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  and  readily  recognized  as  the 
true  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  transfer  was 
made  by  Thomas  C.  Smith,  undertaker,  and  soldered 
air  tight  by  Col.  A.  J.  Babcock.  The  coffin  was  then 
placed  in  the  Sarcophagus,  which  was  deposited  in  the 
central  crypt  of  the  catacomb,  and  the  evidence  of 
identity  preserved  unbroken  by  the  same  six  gentle- 
men signing  a  paper  similar  to  the  two  previous  ones. 
All  three  certificates  are  on  file  with  the  Secretary 
of  the  Association.  The  central  crypt  is  lined  with 
fine  polished  marble.  The  bodies  of  Willie  and  Eddie 
were  placed  together  September  19,  1871,  in  the  crypt 
to  the  right,  or  west,  of  that  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln 
rests.  The  body  of  Thomas  (Tad),  as  previously  stated, 
is  in  the  crypt  to  the  west,  or  extreme  right,  on  enter- 
ing the  vestibule.  The  father  and  three  sons  are  re- 
posing near  each  other  in  this  National  Mausoleum. 
The  two  crypts  on  the  left,  or  to  the  east,  are  unoccu- 
pied, and  are  intended  for  the  only  two  remaining 
members  of  the  family.  They  are  closed  as  though 
they  were  occupied.  Figure  6  presents  the  appearance 
of  the  crypts  before  the  marble  panel  work,  supported 
by  Doric  columns,  and  extending  in  dome  groined 
arches  to  form  the  ceiling,  were  put  in.  Now  the  cen- 
tral crypt  only  is  visible,  with  the  Saracophagus  bear- 
ing on  its  front  the  inscription — 

"With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity  for  all." 

LINCOLN. 
The  name  is  surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  oak  boughs. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 


The  reader  will  doubtless  be  interested  in  knowing 
how  the  money  was  raised  to  accomplish  so  much.  By 
the  courtesy  of  the  treasurer,  the  Hon.  James  H.  Bev- 
eridge,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  examine  his  books, 
and  a  little  explanation  will  be  of  some  advantage.  As 
the  money  came  in,  an  entry  was  made  in  a  journal, 
prepared  expressly  for  that  purpose,  of  each  contribu- 
tion, giving  the  date  of  its  reception,  number  on  the 
journal,  name  of  the  person  or  society  contributing, 
place  of  residence  or  location,  and  amount.  For  every- 
thing, except  Sunday  schools,  this  is  all  the  record. 
The  whole  number  of  entries  in  the  journal  is  5145, 
and  of  these  1697  are  Sunday  schools.  Besides  enter- 
ing the  Sunday  schools  on  the  journal,  there  is  another 
book  prepared  for  them  alone.  The  names  of  more 
than  sixty  thousand  children  are  enrolled  in  this  book. 
The  total  amount  of  their  contributions  is  about  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  Every  superintendent  was  requested 
to  send  a  roll  of  the  names  of  the  children,  with  the 
amount  contributed  by  each.  The  record  begins  with 
the  name  of  the  school,  where  located,  and  the  name 
of  the  superintendent,  followed  by  the  names  of  the 
children  and  amounts  of  their  contributions.  After  the 
design  was  adopted,  those  who  contributed  not  less 
than  fifty  cents,  received  in  return  a  fine  steel  engraving 
of  the  monument,  as  it  will  appear  when  the  statuary 
is  placed  on  it. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  journal  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, taken  at  random,  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
great  variety  of  persons  and  organizations  contributing 
to  the  fund : 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       263 

The  first  entry  was  made  May  8, 1865,  and  was  from 
Isaac  Eeed  &  Co.,  New  York  city,  $100;  Excelsior 
Lodge,  No.  97,  F.  &  A.  Masons,  Freeport,  111.,  $25 ; 
St.  Annes's  Council,  U.  L.  A.,  No.  1234,  Kendall 
county,  111.;  Big  Thunder  Lodge,  No.  28,  I.  O.  of 
Good  Templars,  Belvidere,  111. ;  Olive  Branch  Lodge, 
No.  15,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Canton, 
111. ;  Third  Presbyterian  Church,  Springfield,  111. ; 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Springfield,  111 ;  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church;  Springfield,  111.,  and  nearly 
all  the  other  churches  in  Springfield ;  First  Universal- 
ist  Church,  Sugar  Grove  and  Blackberry,  111. ;  First 
M.  E.  Church,  Springfield,  111.;  118th  Mounted  In- 
fantry, Baton  Rouge,  La. ;  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Sunday  School,  at  Lincoln,  111.  This  is  the  first  con- 
tribution from  a  Sunday  school,  and  it  is  remarkable 
that  it  comes  from  a  town  named  by  some  personal 
friends  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  when  his  only  fame  was 
that  of  being  a  good  and  honest  lawyer.  Congrega- 
tional Church,  Clifton,  111. ;  Baptist  Church,  Towanda, 
111. ;  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Fairfield,  Iowa ;  St.  Mary's 
Church,  Protestant  Episcopal,  Bloomington,  111, ;  Citi- 
zens of  Chelsea,  Mass. ;  M.  E.  Church,  Altoona,  Penn, ; 
Presbyterian  Church,  Omaha,  Neb. ;  Colored  Citizens 
of  Cairo,  111. ;  Hebrew  Citizens  of  Alton,  111 ;  Hobart 
Church,  Oneida  Indians,  Oneida,  Wis. ;  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  Dayton,  Ohio.  The  73d  Regiment  U.  S. 
Colored  Troops,  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  contributed 
$1437,  a 'greater  amount  than  was  given  by  any  other 
individual  or  organization,  except  the  State  of  Illinois. 

It  was  not  until  the  latter  part  of  June  that  the 
Sunday  schools  began  to  report  in  large  numbers,  when 
page  after  page  of  the  journal  was  filled  with  their 
contributions.  At  the  same  time,  reports  would  come 
from  a  U.  S.  war  steamer,  with  a  long  list  of  contribu- 
tions ;  then  from  a  U.  S.  army  hospital,  then  Sunday 
schools,  another  U.  S.  steamship,  a  regiment  in  Missis- 
sippi, another  at  Washington,  then  one  in  Tennessee, 


264  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

still  another  from  Arkansas,  some  white  and  some  col- 
ored. Then  more  Sunday  schools,  Naval  Hospital  at 
Portsmouth,  Virginia ;  a  colored  regiment,  Sunday 
schools,  a  Hebrew  congregation  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo. ; 
Sunday  schools,  M.  E.  Church  in  Massachusetts,  from 
a  Congregational  Church  in  Wisconsin,  a  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Pennsylvania,  Baptist  Church  in  Michigan, 
Episcopal  Church  in  Illinois ;  roll  of  contributors  from 
a  colored  regiment  fills  twenty-three  pages ;  Hebrew 
congregation  in  Philadelphia,  and  a  Presbyterian  Sun- 
day school  at  Aurora,  Indiana.  An  American  mis- 
sionary, from  his  far-off  field  in  Hong  Kong,  China, 
sends  his  contribution,  to  help  build  the  monument  to 
the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  Methodist  Sun- 
day school,  away  up  in  Seattle,  Alaska,  sends  twenty 
dollars  for  the  same  purpose.  Then  comes  a  contribu- 
tion from  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  at 
Memphis,  Tennessee.  More  Sunday  schools,  more 
Masonic,  Odd  Fellows,  and  Good  Templars'  lodges. 
More  Sunday  schools,  from  the  east,  west,  north,  and 
some  from  the  south,  of  almost  every  denomination  of 
Christians.  Citizens  of  New  York  city  contributed 
nearly  five  thousand  dollars.  Citizens  of  Boston  and 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  contributed  nearly  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars.  More  Sunday  schools — Sunday  schools, 
lodges,  churches,  Sunday  schools,  and  so  it  continues, 
page  after  page,  throughout  the  journal. 

Much  the  largest  part  of  the  money  was  contributed 
during  the  year  1865,  but  contributions  continued  to 
come,  decreasing  in  number,  until  the  early  part  of 
1870.  A  contribution  came,  February  2, 1870,  from  a 
Methodist  Sunday  school  at  Smithtown  Branch,  Mass. 
On  the  sixty-first  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  namely,  February  9,  1870,  a  contribution  of 
$500  in  gold  was  received  from,  the  State  of  Nevada, 
by  her  large  hearted  Governor,  Henry  G.  Blasdel. 
One  hundred  dollars  in  gold  was  received  on  the 
eleventh  of  March,  following,  from  the  Secretary  of 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       265 

the  State  of  Nevada,  as  the  contribution  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  and  officers  of  that  State.  For 
a  long  time  it  appeared  as  if  no  more  voluntary  offer- 
ings would  come  into  the  treasury,  but  in  December, 
1870,  a  contribution  of  $10  was  received  from  a  gen- 
tleman in  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  twenty-second  of  the 
month  $15.22  was  received  from  a  Presbyterian  Sun- 
day school  at  Princeton,  Illinois. 

Another  pause  ensues,  until  May  12,  1871,  when 
$25  was  received  from  a  citizen  of  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  and  on  the  fifth  of  June,  $5,  from  a  citizen 
of  Belvidere,  Illinois.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  June, 
$5  was  received  from  a  Methodist  Sunday  School  at 
Greenwich,  New  York,  and  on  the  same  day,  $198  was 
reported  as  the  contribution  of  the  Second  Presbyter- 
ian Sunday  School  of  Springfield,  Illinois.  November 
25,  1871,  a  contribution  of  $50  is  recorded  from  a 
citizen  of  Geneva,  Illinois.  A  report  of  the  contribu- 
tions for  procuring  the  groups  of  statuary  can  be  seen 
in  the  twenty-eighth  chapter,  and  for  ornamenting  the 
monument  grounds,  in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter. 

Only  three  States  have  made  contributions  to  the 
fund,  without  reserve.  Illinois,  by  an  act  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  approved  January  29,  1867,  appropri- 
ated fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  money  was  not  to  be 
drawn  from  the  State  treasury  until  it  was  needed  to 
pay  out  on  the  work.  It  has  been  drawn  and  applied 
as  contemplated  in  the  law.  The  State  of  Missouri 
appropriated  one  thousand  dollars — a  draft  from  Gov- 
ernor Fletcher,  for  that  amount,  came  into  the  hands 
of  the  treasurer  of  the  Association,  April  18,  1868 — 
and  the  State  of  Nevada  $500,  as  already  stated. 

Men  may  object  to  giving  assistance,  and  say  it  is  an 
enterprise  that  belongs  to  Illinois.  That  State  has 
acknowledged  the  honor  of  having  been  the  chosen 
home  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  her  contribution  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  has  put  her  name  in  the  most 
obscure  place  on  the  monument.  If  any  other  four 


266  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

States  were  to  combine,  and  do  as  much  as  Illinois, 
they  would  justly  be  regarded  as  liberal,  and  yet 
it  is  not  a  State,  but  a  National  Monument.  As  evi- 
dence of  this,  I  need  only  refer  to  the  great  extent  of 
country  from  which  the  contributions  already  received 
have  come.  They  were  made  up,  too,  by  all  classes  of 
people,  and  by  organizations  of  almost  every  kind. 

There  can  be  but  one  National  Monument  to  the 
memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  that  only  can  be  a 
National  Monument  which  contains  his  remains ;  who, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  the  head  of  the  nation, 
and  was  slain  because  he  was  its  Chief  Magistrate. 
This  is  even  more  than  a  National  Monument,  it  is 
cosmopolitan  in  its  character.  His  love  included  all 
mankind,  and  all  the  liberty  loving  portion  of  the  hu- 
man family  extended  their  love  to  him.  I  might  fill 
page  after  page  with  quotations  from  articles  written 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  expressing  sorrow  for  his 
death.  These  expressions  were  so  numerous  that  the 
United  States  Congress,  in  order  to  preserve  them  in  a 
separate  form,  by  a  joint  resolution  of  both  houses, 
approved  March  2,  1867, 

Resolved,  That,  in  addition  to  the  number  of  copies  of  papers 
relating  to  foreign  affairs  now  authorized  by  law,  there  shall  be 
printed  for  distribution  by  the  Department  of  State,  on  fine  paper, 
with  wide  margin,  a  sufficient  number  of  copies  of  the  appendix 
to  the  diplomatic  correspondence  of  1865,  to  supply  one  copy  to 
each  Senator  and  each  Representative  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Con- 
gress, and  to  each  foreign  government,  and  one  copy  to  each  cor- 
poration, association  or  public  body,  whose  expressions  of  condo- 
lence or  sympathy  are  published  in  this  volume ;  one  hundred  of 
these  copies  to  be  bound  in  full  Turkey  morocco,  full  gilt,  and  the 
remaining  copies  to  be  bound  in  half  Turkey  morocco,  marble 
edged. 

Under  this  resolution,  a  volume  of  nine  hundred  and 
thirty  quarto  pages  was  published,  making  a  book 
almost  as  large  as  Webster's  unabridged  dictionary.  It 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       267 

contains  "  expressions  of  condolence  and  sympathy," 
on  account  of  the  assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
from  the  governments,  associations  or  individuals,  in 
some  official  capacity,  from  the  following  countries,  in 
alphabetical  order.  I  give  the  name  of  each  country, 
and  the  number  of  parties  from  whom  documents  were 
received : 

Austria,  nine ;  Argentine  Republic,  nine ;  Belgium, 
seven  ;  Brunswick,  one  ;  Baden,  Duchy  of,  four ;  Bra- 
zil, six ;  Bolivia,  one  ;  Chili,  seventeen ;  Costa  Rica, 
six ;  China,  two ;  Denmark,  four ;  Equador,  five  ; 
Egypt,  two;  France,  one  hundred  and  fifty — forty- 
seven  of  which  were  from  the  press ;  Great  Britain 
and  her  dependencies,  including  both  houses  of  Parlia- 
ment and  Queen  Victoria,  many  cities  and  towns 
throughout  the  kingdom,  the  island  of  Nassau,  the 
Bahamas,  Bengal  and  Calcutta,  India,  Cape  Town  and 
the  gold  coast  of  Africa,  Dominion  of  Canada,  with 
many  of  her  cities  east  and  west,  Ireland,  Scotland, 
Australia,  islands  of  Guernsey,  Bermuda,  Jamaica  and 
Vancouver,  New  South  Wales  and  Nova  Scotia.  The 
addresses  received  from  all  these  sources  were  four 
hundred  and  sixty-five,  including  twenty-nine  from  the 
press.  Greece,  one ;  Honduras,  one ;  Hanseatic  Re- 
publics, including  the  free  cities  of  Bremen,  Hamburg 
and  Lubec,  seven ;  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Duchy  of,  two ; 
Hawaian  Islands,  four;  Hayti,  one;  Italy,  seventy- 
two,  outside  of  Rome ;  Japan,  two ;  Liberia,  five ; 
Mexico,  six ;  Morocco,  one  ;  the  Netherlands,  including 
the  Hague,  four ;  Nicaragua,  three ;  Prussia,  seven- 
teen ;  Portugal,  eighteen ;  Peru,  eleven ;  Russia,  eight ; 
Rome,  four ;  Spain,  nineteen  ;  Sweden  and  Norway, 
nine ;  Saxe  Meiningen,  one ;  Switzerland,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six ;  San  Salvador,  three ;  United  States  of 
Columbia,  twenty -three ;  Uraguay,  three ;  Venezuela, 
six ;  Wurtemburg,  three ;  United  States  of  America, 
sixty-eight.  These  latter  were,  to  a  great  extent,  made 
up  of  societies  composed  of  foreigners  residing  in  the 


268  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

different  cities  of  the  Union.  The  total  number,  from 
all  sources,  is  eleven  hundred  and  sixty-eight.  They 
contain  some  of  the  finest  sentiments  that  words  can 
express.  They  are  nearly  all  written  in  prose,  with  a 
small  number  in  poetry.  I  insert  a  single  communica- 
tion of  the  latter  class.  It  was  written  by  Miss  Grace 
W.  Gray,  an  invalid  lady  of  Northampton,  England, 
and  sent  to  Charles  F.  Adams,  our  minister  to  that  na- 
tion, with  a  request  that  it  be  forwarded  to  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln. It  is  an  accrostic,  and  in  the  number  of  lines, 
it  would  also  be  a  sonnet,  if  the  versification  had  been 
arranged  for  that  purpose : 

"  A  nation — nor  one  only — mourns  thy  loss, 
"  Brave  Lincoln,  and  with  voice  unanimous 

Raise  to  thy  deathless  memory 

A  dirge-like  song  of  all  thy  noble  deeds. 

High  let  it  rise;  and  I,  too,  fain  would  add 

A  loving  tribute  to  thy  priceless  worth, 

More  widely  known  since  banished  from  the  earth. 

"  Laurel  shall  now  thy  brow  entwine, 
In  memory's  ever-faithful  shrine ; 
Nor  shall  it  fade  when  earth  dissolves. 
Caught  up  to  meet  thee  in  the  air, 
Old  age  and  youth  shall  bless  thee  there ; 
Love  shall  her  grateful  tribute  pay, 
Nor  cease  through  heaven's  eternal  day." 

Resolutions  and  other  expressions,  by  legislative 
bodies,  corporations,  voluntary  societies  and  public 
assemblies  called  for  the  occasion,  one  and  all,  ex- 
pressed in  unmistakable  terms  their  horror  at  the 
crime,  and  the  warmest  sympathy  and  condolence  with 
the  bereaved  family  of  the  President  and  the  American 
people ;  but  from  the  very  nature  of  things,  they  par- 
took too  much  of  formality  to  express  the  finer  feel- 
ings of  the  heart.  These  latter  could  only  be  found  in 
the  public  journals.  Of  the  former  class,  I  make  a 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       269 

single  selection  of  part  of  an  utterance  in  four  where- 
aees  and  six  resolutions,  from  the  government  of  Li- 
beria : 

Resolved,  By  the  President  of  tlie  Republic  of  Ltiwia  and  Ids 
Cabinet,  in  council,  That  it  is  with  sincere  regret  and  pain,  as  well 
as  with  feelings  of  horror  and  indignation,  the  government  of  Li- 
beria has  heard  of  the  foul  assassination,  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  late 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

Resolved,  That  the  government  and  people  of  Liberia  deeply 
sympathize  with  the  government  and  people  of  the  United  States, 
in  the  sad  loss  they  have  sustained  by  the  death  of  so  wise,  so 
just,  so  efficient,  so  vigorous,  and  yet  so  merciful  a  ruler. 

Resolved,  That  while  with  due  sorrow  the  government  and  peo- 
ple of  Liberia  weep  with  those  that  mourn  the  loss  of  so  good  and 
great  a  chief,  they  are,  nevertheless,  mindful  of  the  loss  they  them- 
selves have  experienced  in  the  death  of  the  great  philanthropist 
whose  virtues  can  never  cease  to  be  told  so  long  as  the  Republic 
of  Liberia  shall  endure ;  so  long  as  there  survives  a  member  of 
the  negro  race  to  tell  of  the  chains  that  have  been  broken ;  of  the 
griefs  that  have  been  allayed ;  of  the  broken  hearts  that  have  been 
bound  up  by  him  who,  as  it  were  a  new  creation,  breathed  life  into 
four  millions  of  that  race  whom  he  found  oppressed  and  degraded 

From  a  large  number  of  French  papers,  I  select  a 
single  paragraph,  from  the  Siecle  of  April  30,  1865 : 

"  I  pause  to  pay  a  tribute  of  homage  to  the  memory  of  Abraham 
Lincoln ;  he  will  have  been  the  apostle  and  the  martyr  of  freedom. 
The  cause  of  slavery  could  only  be  put  an  end  to  by  assassination. 
It  dies  as  it  has  lived,  the  dagger  in  hand.  What  a  lost  cause ! 
What  a  dishonored  cause !  The  frightful  drama  of  Golgotha  is  the 
purchase  of  the  disinherited.  The  blood  of  the  just  is  invariably 
the  ransom  of  the  slaves." 

We  have  heretofore  regarded  the  people  of  South 
America  as  not  more  than  half  civilized,  but  in  all  the 
hundreds  of  papers  on  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
there  is  none  that  exhibits  more  accurate  and  di&crim- 


270  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

inating  knowledge  of  onr  history,  and  that  for  sub- 
limity of  thought  and  deep  pathos,  excels  that  written 
by  the  Hon.  Salvador  Camacho  Roldan,  and  translated 
from  La  Opinion,  Bogota,  June  7,  1 865  ;  from  which  I 
make  some  brief  extracts.  After  stating  in  the  most 
clear  and  concise  language,  the  causes  of  our  civil  war 
and  the  difficulties  in  the  path  of  President  Lincoln, 
the  writer  says  :  "There  is  in  his  last  words  something 
of  the  fire  of  the  old  prophets,"  and  then  proceeds  to 
quote  from  his  inaugural  address  of  March  4,  1865  : 

"  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  soon  pass  away.  Yet  if  God  wills  that  it  con- 
tinue until  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondman's  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop 
of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  be  paid  by  another  drawn  with  the 
sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be 
said,  'the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." 

The  writer  continues : 

"And  that  nothing  should  be  wanting  to  complete  the  grandeur 
of  his  life,  the  hand  of  crime  snatched  it  from  him  in  the  midst  of  the 
triumph  of  his  cause,  and  bound  his  temples,  already  pale  from  the 
vigils  and  anguish  of  four  years,  with  the  resplendent  crown  of 
the  martyr. 

"Abraham  Lincoln  is  dead,  but  his  work  is  finished  and  sealed 
with  the  veneration  which  God  has  given  to  the  blood  of  martyrs. 
He  who  was  yesterday  a  man,  is  to-day  an  apostle ;  he  who  was  the 
centre  at  which  the  shots  of  malice  and  hatred  were  aimed,  is  to-day 
a  prestige,  sacred  and  irresistible.  His  voice  is  louder  and  more  po- 
tent from  the  mansion  of  martyrs,  than  from  the  Capitol,  and  the 
cry  which  was  loudly  raised  among  the  living,  is  mute  before  the 
majesty  of  the  tomb. 

"Abraham  Lincoln  passes  to  the  side  of  Washington — the  one 
the  father,  and  the  other  the  saviour  of  a  great  nation.  The  tra- 
ditions, pure  and  stainless,  of  the  early  times  of  the  republic, 
broken  at  the  close  of  the  administration  of  the  second  Adams, 
were  restored  in  the  martyr  of  Ford's  Theatre;  and  the  predomi- 
nance of  material  interests  which  has  heretofore  obscured  the 
country  of  Franklin,  will  abdicate  the  field  to  the  prelacy  of 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       271 

moral  ideas,  of  justice,  of  equality,  and  of  reparation.  The  whip 
has  dropped  from  the  hand  of  the  overseer;  the  bloodhound  will 
hunt  no  more  the  fugitive  slave  in  the  mangrove  swamps  of  the 
Mississippi ;  the  hammer  of  the  auctioneer  of  negroes  has  struck 
for  the  last  time  on  his  platform,  and  its  baleful  sound  has  died 
into  eternal  silence.  The  sacred  ties  of  love  which  unite  the 
hearts  of  slaves  will  not  again  be  broken  by  the  forced  separation 
of  husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children.  The  unnatural  and 
infamous  consort  between  the  words  liberty  and  slavery  is  dis- 
solved forever;  and  liberty!  liberty!  will  be  the  cry  which  shall 
run  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  northern  lakes 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  great  work  has  cost  a  great  price. 
Humanity  will  have  to  mourn  yet  many  years  to  come  the  hor- 
rors of  that  civil  war;  but  above  the  blood  of  its  victims,  above 
the  bones  of  its  dead,  above  the  ashes  of  desolated  hearths,  will 
arise  the  great  figure  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  the  most  acceptable 
sacrifice  offered  by  the  nineteenth  century  in  expiation  of  the 
great  crime  of  the  sixteenth.  Above  all  the  anguish  and  tears  of 
that  immense  hecatomb  will  appear  the  shade  of  Lincoln  as  the 
symbol  of  hope  and  pardon." 

These  expressions  of  condolence  and  sympathy  were 
written  in  not  less  than  twenty-five  of  the  leading 
languages  of  the  world,  but  when  translated  into  our 
own,  they  one  and  all  convey  such  true  appreciation 
of  the  motives  that  governed  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  as  leads  us  to  believe  that  the  language  of 
freedom  is  everywhere  the  same.  I  believe  it  may  be 
truthfully  said,  that  there  is  not  a  man  under  the  whole 
canopy  of  heaven,  that  loves  liberty  for  liberty's  sake, 
who  does  not  feel  that,  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
struck  down,  he  lost  a  brother,  for  his  love  included 
all  mankind. 

A  copy  of  the  book  containing  these  expressions  of 
condolence  and  sympathy,  also  the  books,  papers  and 
letters  of  the  Monument  Association  will  be  placed  in 
Memorial  Hall.  A  package  of  the  original  documents 
sent  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  government,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 


272  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 

was  forwarded  by  Robert  T.  Lincoln  to  the  Hon. 
John  T.  Stuart  in  December,  1871,  are  framed  and 
placed  in  Memorial  Hall.  A  small  number  of  them 
are  on  paper,  but  much  the  largest  number  are  on  either 
parchment  or  vellum.  They  are  of  all  sizes,  from 
eight  by  ten  inches  to  eighteen  by  twenty -four.  Among 
them  are  some  very  fine  specimens  of  pen-printing. 
They  will  be  highly  valued  for  their  ornamental  ap- 
pearance. Twenty-two  of  them  are  the  originals  of 
those  contained  in  the  book  published  by  Congress. 
I  will  mention  them  in  something  like  the  order  in 
which  they  appear  in  that  book. 

In  the  borough  of  Blackburn,  county  of  Lancaster, 
England,  a  meeting  was  held  May  2,  1865,  and  an  ad- 
dress issued  to  Mrs.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Seward  and  their 
families.  In  this  address  the  sentiment  is  expressed, 
that  when  the  exigencies  of  a  nation  demand  a  great 
leader,  God  always  sends  the  man  for  the  time,  and  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  raised  up  for  the  special  pur- 
pose of  leading  our  government  through  the  perils  of 
the  rebellion,  and  to  let  the  oppressed  go  free.  Although 
the  language  varies,  there  is  a  similarity  in  the  senti- 
ments running  through  them  all,  therefore  I  shall 
simply  give  the  dates  and  places  from  whence  they 
came: 

Belfast,  Ireland,  May  8,  1865. 

Dublin,  Ireland,  May  1,  1865. 

Borough  of  Lancaster,  England,  May  3,  1865. 

City  Council  of  Liverpool,  England,  May  3, 1865. 

City  of  Leeds,  England,  May  1,  1865. 

Workingmen  of  London,  England,  May  4,  1865. 
Their  words  of  patriotism  and  love  of  freedom  are  so 
clear,  that  they  seem  to  be  Americans.  Their  address 
comes  on  a  large  piece  of  parchment,  with  fifty-five 
signatures. 

The  Emancipation  Society,  at  St.  James  Hall,  Lon- 
don, April  29,  1865. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       273 

British  and  Foreign  Anti-Slavery  Society,  London, 
May  5,  1865. 

Temple  Discussion  Forum,  of  London,  without  date. 

Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  from  the  London  of- 
fice, May  8,  1865. 

New  England  Society,  of  Montreal,  Canada,  April 
19,  1865. 

Municipal  Council  of  Northampton,  England,  May 
1,  1865.  Two  copies,  on  vellum ;  one  to  the  govern- 
ment archives  at  Washington,  the  other  to  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln. 

Municipal  Council  of  Oldham,  England  May  1  and 
3,  1865. 

Town  Council  of  Paisley,  Scotland,  May  6,  1865. 

The  inhabitants  of  Plaistow,  England,  without  date. 

Municipal  Council  of  Rochdale,  Scotland,  May  4, 
1865. 

Sheffield  Secular  Society,  England,  without  date. 

The  inhabitants  of  Southport,  England,  May  6,  1865. 

Parish  of  St.  Pancras,  county  of  Middlesex,  England, 
May  10, 1865. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
New  York  city,  April  22,  1865. 

Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  200  Mulberry  street,  New 
York,  April  24,  1865. 

The  following  do  not  appear  in  the  book  published 
by  Congress,  bu$.  on  the  parchments  only : 

From  the  Aldermen  and  Burgesses  of  the  city  of 
Liverpool,  England,  May  3,  1865. 

The  inhabitants  of  Gateshead,  England,  May  4,  1865. 

Ladies  of  the  London  Emancipation  Society,  to  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  without  date. 

St.  George's  Society,  Quebec,  Dominion  of  Canada, 
April  24,  1865. 

Montgomery  Lodge  No.  19,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, Philadelphia,  May  4,  1865. 

Friends,  or  Quakers,  of  Kendall,  England,  to  the 
18 


274  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

widow  and  children  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  without  date. 
This  parchment  contains  sixty-seven  autograph  names, 
about  one-third  being  women. 

Mercantile  Library  Company  sent  a  piece  of  parch- 
ment, with  some  very  neatly  expressed  sentiments 
and  fifteen  signatures,  but  it  is  without  date  or  loca- 
tion . 

The  St.  Andrew's  Scottish  Benevolent  Society  of  San 
Francisco,  California,  April  17,  1865.  Their  expres- 
sions are  recorded  on  a  fine  piece  of  vellum,  and  at- 
tached to  a  roller,  heavily  plated  with  gold. 

Declarations  of  the  Bishop  and  Clergy  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church,  in  the  Diocese  of  Illinois, 
April  19,  1865.  These  are  neatly  engrossed  on  a  piece 
of  vellum,  eighteen  by  twenty-four  inches,  and  signed 

bv  Bishop  Whitehouse  and  fifty-one  of  the  clergv  of 
,-.  ,.  *  J  &« 

his  diocese. 

Among  the  number  there  is  one  very  fine  piece  of 
parchment,  which  has  nothing  on  its  face  to  show 
whether  it  was  prepared  before  or  after  Mr.  Lincoln's 
death.  It  is  a  series  of  joint  resolutions  of  the  Select 
and  Common  Councils  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in- 
viting Abraham  Lincoln  to  visit  that  city  on  his  way 
to  Washington,  to  be  inaugurated  President  of  the 
United  States.  It  contains  the  names  of  the  committee 
of  invitation,  consisting  of  six  members  of  each  coun- 
cil, and  was  approved  by  the  Mayor,  Alexander  Henry, 
February  14,  1861. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  April  29,  1871,  the 
Hon.  Sharon  Tyndale,  of  Springfield,  arose  from  his 
bed  about  one  o'clock,  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  his 
family,  and  started  to  the  depot  of  the  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  Railroad,  with  the  intention  of  visiting  Belle- 
ville. At  daylight  his  body  was  found,  about  a  square 
from  his  residence,  lying  on  its  face,  with  a  pistol  shot 
through  his  head.  The  wound  was  almost  like  that 
which  caused  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Large  re- 
wards were  offered  for  the  arrest  of  the  assassins,  but 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        275 

there  has  never  been  the  slightest  clue  as  to  who  they 
were. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  May  11, 
1871,  a  committee  was  appointed  who  reported  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions,  which  were  adopted  and  ordered  to 
l)e  spread  upon  the  record : 

Rejoiced,  That  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Sharon  Tyndale,  one 
of  the  corporators  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Associa- 
tion, and  the  first  of  that  number  who  has  departed  this  life,  this 
Association  has  lost  one  of  the  most  earnest,  faithful  and  valued 
members — one  who  cherished  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
with  sincere  and  patriotic  devotion,  and  who  gave  his  time  and 
thought,  gladly  and  without  stint,  to  promote  the  success  of  the 
enterprise  for  which  this  corporation  was  created. 

Resolved,  That  we  recall  with  grateful  emotions  the  unvarying 
courtesy  and  kindness  of  the  deceased,  as  a  member  of  this  body ; 
his  exulted  conception  of  the  historic  significance  of  the  proposed 
monument;  his  strong  desire  that  the  structure  should  be  worthy 
of  the  great  name  to  be  honored  and  perpetuated  by  it,  and  his 
many  valuable  services  and  suggestions  as  the  work  was  begun 
and  carried  forward. 

Resolved,  That  the  cruel  assassination  of  Mr.  Tyndale  derives  a 
blacker  coloring  of  atrocity  from  his  singularly  benevoleent  and 
philanthropic  nature,  and  his  well  known  kindness  of  disposition, 
and  that  we  earnestly  join  in  the  general  wish  that  his  inhuman 
murderers  may  yet  be  arrested,  convicted  and  punished. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  forwarded,  with 
assurances  of  our  deep  and  respectful  sympathy,  to  the  afflicted 
widow  and  family  of  the  deceased. 

NEWTON  BATE  MAN,     "] 

DAVID  L.  PHILLIPS,      \-  Committee. 

JAMES  C.  CONKLING,    J 

At  the  same  meeting,  upon  the  suggestion  of  Hon. 
O.  M.  Hatch,  Gov.  John  M.  Palmer  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Association,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occa- 
sioned by  the  death  of  Mr.  Tyndale.  With  this  ex- 
ception, there  has  never  been  any  change  in  the  mem- 
.bership,  from  the  organization  of  the  Association. 


27 f)  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Clinton  L.  Conkling,  the  first  secretary,  was  never 
a  member  of  the  Association,  but  served  as  secretary 
until  December  28,  1865,  when  he  tendered  his  resigna- 
tion, which  was  accepted  January  18,  1866.  Hon.  O. 
M.  Hatch  was  then  elected  secretary,  which  he  accepted, 
and  has  continued  to  serve  until  the  present  time.  The 
Association  is  at  present  composed  of  ex-Gov.  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  President ;  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Vice  Presi- 
dent; Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer;  Hon.  O. 
M.  Hatch,  Secretary ;  Hon.  O.  H.  Miner,  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart,  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling,  John  Williams, 
Thomas  J.  Dennis,  Jacob  Bunn,  Hon.  Newton  Bate- 
man,  Hon.  S.  H.  Treat,  Hon.  D.  L.  Phillips,  Dr.  S.  H. 
Melvin,  and  Gov.  John  M.  Palmer. 

The  Executive  Committee,  appointed  when  the  work 
commenced,  namely,  the  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Jacob 
Bunn,  and  John  Williams,  has  continued  to  superin- 
tend it  to  the  present  time. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


Soon  after  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Associ- 
ation was  organized,  it  announced  its  intention  to 
raise  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  monument  to  the  memory  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  There  was  but  one  contribution 
made,  the  payment  of  which  was  dependent  on  the 
amount  named  being  raised.  The  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  at  its  first  or  second  session,  after 
the  Association  was  organized,  appropriated  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  to  be  paid  to  the  National  Lincoln  Mon- 
ument Association  at  Springfiield,  Illinois,  when  two 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars  were  raised  from 
other  sources.  As  that  amount  was  never  collected, 
the  appropriation  lapsed,  but  another  law  was  enacted 
in  February,  1872,  appropriating  the  same  amount, 
to  be  paid  when  a  sworn  statement  of  the  amount  ex- 
pended by  the  Association  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  Comptroller  of  the  State  of  New  York.  That 
statement  was  duly  forwarded,  and  a  draft  for  the 
amount  was  received  by  the  Treasurer  of  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  Association,  November  15,  1872. 

A  single  incident  will  illustrate  how  easy  it  would 
have  been  to  raise  money  in  many  oilier  places,  with 
the  proper  exciting  cause.  An  aged  colored  woman, 
Charlotte  Scott,  who  had  received  her  freedom  in  Vir- 
ginia by  the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  was  living 
at  Marietta,  Ohio,  when  President  Lincoln  was  assas- 
sinated. She  at  once  said:  "The  colored  people  have 
lost  their  best  friend  on  earth  ;.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  our 
best  friend,  and  I  will  give  five  dollars  of  my  wages 
towards  building  a  monument  to  his  memory ."  This 
circumstance  being  related  in  the  Missouri  Democrat, 


278  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL    CORTEGE, 

of  May  2,  1865,  caused  more  than  sixteen  thousand 
dollars  to  be  raised  by  the  colored  people.  The  fund 
was  held  in  St.  Louis  by  Hon.  James  1C.  Yeatman  for 
several  years,  but  was  pledged  to  the  National  Lin- 
coln Monument  Association  at  Washington  City. 

From  the  time  ground  was  broken  in  the  autumn  of 
1869,  until  the  spring  of  1871,  the  structure  arose 
steadily  and  quietly,  and  the  work,  both  on  the  Monu- 
ment and  statue,  was  so  far  advanced  that  the  Associa- 
tion began  to  prepare  for  some  public  demonstration 
connected  with  the  enterprise,  without  waiting  for  the 
four  groups  of  statuary.  On  the  eleventh  day  of  May, 
at  the  sixth  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  a  com- 
mittee was  raised  consisting  of  President  Oglesby,  D. 
L.  Phillips,  J.  C.  Conkling,  Newton  Bateman  and  S. 
H.  Treat,  to  make  the  necessary  preparations.  They 
were  expected  to  visit  Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  and 
"examine  the  Statue  of  Lincoln  and  the  Coat  of  Arms, 
suggest  to  the  Association  the  name  of  a  suitable  per- 
son to  deliver  the  oration  upon  the  occasion  of  the  un- 
veiling of  the  Statue  when  placed  upon  the  Monument, 
and  to  select  and  suggest  a  day  upon  which  the  ceremo- 
nies should  take  place.'"' 

On  the  nineteenth  of  July,  four  days  after  the  death 
of  Thomas  Lincoln,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Association, 
that  committee  reported  progress.  A  few  days  after 
that,  Governor  Oglesby  and  Mr.  Phillips,  of  the  before 
mentioned  committee,  started  East. 

A  meeting  of  the  Association  was  called  on  the 
twenty-second  of  August,  to  hear  the  report  of  the 
committee,  of  which  the  following  is  the  substance : 

Messrs.  Oglesby  and  Phillips  went  by  the  way  of 
Chicago,  for  the  purpose  of  availing  themselves  of  the 
counsels — particularly  in  the  selection  of  an  orator — 
of  some  of  the  prominent  gentlemen  of  that  city,  who 
had  been  the  personal  and  political  friends  of  President 
Lincoln.  Upon  making  their  business  known  to  the 
Hon.  J.  Young  Scammon,  Col.  James  H.  Bowen, 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        279 

Chauncey  T.  Bowen,  Esq.  and  others,  they  learned  that, 
several  of  these  gentlemen,  on  their  visit  to  Springfield 
with  the  remains  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  became  deeply 
interested  in  seeing  the  monument  completed.  When 
the  subject  was  more  fully  discussed,  the  committee 
received  what  they  regarded  as  ample  assurances  that 
Chicago  would  furnish  the  means  to  purchase  one  of 
the  groups  of  statuary.  They  went  so  far  as  to  select 
the  infantry  Group  as  the  one  they  would  prefer  to  have 
placed  to  the  credit  of  their  city.  The  whole  question 
was  left  open,  with  the  understanding  that  whenever 
the  Association  desired  it,  the  money  would  be  forth- 
coming. 

The  committee  next  visited  New  York  city  and  called 
on  ex-Governor  E.  D.  Morgan,  Hon.  Russell  Sage, 
Hon.  George  Opdyke,  Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  Esq.  Geo. 
T.  M.  Davis,  Esq.  A.  D.  Shepherd,  Esq.  and  others, 
and  received  assurances  that  New  York  would  furnish 
the  Naval  Group.  They  left  the  matter  of  raising  the 
money  there  open  also,  for  the  reason  that  it  was  in  the 
heat  of  summer,  and  they  were  assured  that  many  gen- 
tlemen who  would  cheerfully  contribute  to  the  fund 
were  then  absent. 

On  visiting  Boston  they  called  on  Governor  Claflin, 
and  after  a  long  consultation  with  him,  were  gratified 
to  find  that  he  entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the 
enterprise,  and  although  he  declined,  alone,  to  make  a 
positive  promise,  he  assured  the  committee  of  his  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion 
that  Boston  would  furnish  the  means  to  pay  for  one  of 
the  groups. 

The  committee  would  have  visited  Philadelphia  but 
did  not  think  it  advisable  to  go  while  the  weather  was 
so  hot,  and  that  it  would  be  better  to  defer  it  until 
winter. 

On  visiting  Chicopee  the  committee  found  the  Coat 
of  Arms  finished,  and  the  work  on  the  Statue  of  Lin- 
coln in  a  good  state  of  progress.  They  took  ample  time 


280  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

to  study  it,  and  unhesitatingly  pronounce  it  as  perfect  a 
reproduction  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  it  is  possible  to 
transfer  from  life  to  inert  matter.  In  their  opinion  Mr. 
Mead  has  proven  himself  a  true  artist,  in  the  fact  that 
he  has  made  no  effort  to  improve  on  nature.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln stooped  in  the  shoulders,  just  enough  to  spoil  the 
lit  of  a  coat  about  the  breast,  and  the  Statue  shows  this 
to  perfection.  The  peculiar  contour  of  the  features, 
the  full  lower  lip,  the  mole  on  the  cheek,  the  wrinkles 
on  the  forehead,  and  the  nose,  unlike  any  other  except 
Lincoln's,  are  all  faithfully  reproduced.  His  long, 
bony  fingers,  as  they  grasped  the  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation, and  all  his  other  angularities,  are  brought  out 
with  great  accuracy.  They  regard  the  work  a  sig- 
nal success,  and  think  it  a  fortunate  circumstance  that 
the  casting  and  finishing  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company.  Mr.  James  T. 
Ames,  as  President  of  that  Company,  became  intimately 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Lincoln  during  the  four  years  of 
the  rebellion.  His  business  relations  in  manufacturing 
cannon  and  other  arms  for  the  government,  led  to  many 
personal  interviews  with  the  President.  His  recollec- 
tion of  these  events  was  of  great  value  when  he  came 
to  finish  up  the  statue,  which  he  seemed  to  regard  more 
as  a  labor  of  love  and  patriotism,  than  a  mere  matter  of 
business. 

It  appeared  to  them  as  if  the  work  was  almost  done, 
but  Mr.  Ames  declined  to  name  a  time  when  it  would 
be  completed.  Being  satisfied  that  it  could  not  be  done 
and  put  in  position  on  the  Monument  in  time  to  be  un- 
veiled during  1871,  the  committee  did  not  make  a«elec- 
tion  of  an  orator,  neither  did  they  name  any  day  for  the 
ceremony  of  unveiling  to  take  place. 

Although  the  committee  found  it  inexpedient  at  that 
time  to  do  all  they  were  appointed  for,  they  did  that 
which  was  much  more  important.  They  developed 
the  fact  that  the  movement  on  the  part  of  the  people 
to  build  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lin- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.        281 

coin  was  not  a  mere  impulse,  to  be  abandoned  when 
the  novelty  wore  away,  but  that  the  people  are  firmly 
resolved  to  complete  it  in  all  its  parts.  Thus  matters 
connected  with  the  Monument  stood  when  the  great 
tornado  of  fire  swept  over  Chicago  on  the  eighth  and 
ninth  of  October.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars' 
worth  of  property,  belonging  to  the  men  who  had 
united  in  pledging  the  money  to  purchase  the  Infantry 
Group  of  statuary,  were  reduced  to  ashes  in  a  day. 

When  this  great  calamity  befel  the  commercial  me- 
tropolis of  the  Northwest,  it  was  about  the  close  of  the 
building  season  for  1871.  The  Monument  proper  was 
then  nearly  completed.  The  Association  had  the  means 
to  pay  all  bills  for  this  part  of  the  work,  also  for  the 
United  States  Coat  of  Arms  and  the  Statute  of  Lin- 
coln. But  the  Monument  would  still  lack  what  was 
necessary  to  give  vital  force  to  the  design  of  the  artist. 
It  would  be  an  apt  emblem  of  our  government  at  the 
beginning  of  the  great  rebellion.  The  constitution  was 
there  as  a  pedestal,  and  Abraham  Lincoln  took  his  posi- 
tion upon  it.  The  States  were  there,  but  threatening 
dissolution,  and  he  had  neither  Infantry,  Cavalry,  Artil- 
lery or  a  Navy,  without  which  he  would  have  been 
compelled  to  look  on  and  see  them  crumble  aAvay  be- 
neath his  feet.  At  this  juncture  the  loyal  people  of 
America  rallied  to  his  support,  and  placed  at  his  dispo- 
sal the  means  necessary  to  organize  all  the  forces 
required  for  the  preservation  of  the  government. 
The  members  of  the  Association,  when  assembled  on 
the  twenty-ninth  of  November,  felt  that  the  time  had 
arrived  for  an  earnest  appeal  to  be  made  to  the  Ameri- 
can people,  to  again  furnish  the  means  to  organi/e  the 
Infantry,  the  Cavalry,  the  Artillery  and  the  Navy — in 
bronze — to  be  marshaled  around  his  Statue,  in  imitation 
of  the  support  the  loyal  people  of  the  nation  gave  him 
in  its  hour  of  greatest  peril. 

The  feeling  was  unanimous  among  the  members 
that  the  magnanimity  which  always  characterized 


282  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL,  CORTEGE, 

Abraham  Lincoln,  should  restrain  them  from  hold- 
ing those  gentlemen  in  Chicago  to  their  promises 
made  before  the  fire.  In  consideration  of  the  munifi- 
cent liberality  manifested  by  them  in  so  many  ways 
when  in  prosperity,  all  felt  that  they  should  be  con- 
sulted before  calling  on  any  other  city  to  take  their 
place  in  supplying  the  Infantry  Group.  It  was  decided 
that,  as  the  initial  step  to  further  proceedings,  Governor 
Oglesby  should  visit  Chicago  and  ascertain  their  feel- 
ings on  the  subject.  After  spending  a  day  or  two  there, 
the  Governor  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch, 
Secretary  of  the  Association.  The  letter  was  dated 
Chciago,  Dec.  8,  and  when  it  was  received  Mr.  Hatch 
informed  Vice  President  Dubois,  who  called  a  meeting 
Dec.  11,  1871,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  a  report  from 
the  Governor. 

He  said  that  at  an  interview  with  the  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  he  opened  the  conversation  about  the  future 
purposes  of  the  Association,  and  suggested  that  it  might 
be  under  the  necessity  of  calling  upon  some  other  city 
to  take  the  place  of  Chicago  in  supplying  one  of  the 
groups  of  statuary.  Mr.  Scammon  said  Jie  thought  not, 
and  inquired  into  the  terms  of  the  contract  with  the 
sculptor,  as  to  the  time  of  payments.  The  Governor 
informed  him  that  one-third  of  the  price  was  to  be  paid 
when  the  order  was  given  for  the  work  to  proceed ;  but 
then  added  very  explicitly,  that  the  Association  did 
not,  under  the  present  circumstances,  expect  Chicago 
to  contribute  anything,  and  assured  him  of  the  pro- 
found regret  felt,  by  the  members  at  the  necessity  of 
looking  somewhere  else  for  the  Infantry  Group.  Mr. 
Scammon  said  he  thought  that  unnecessary,  and  then 
to  the  surprise  and  gratification  of  the  Governor,  pro- 
ceeded to  say :  "  Your  Association  may  give  Mr.  Mead 
the  order  to  proceed  at  once  to  prepare  the  cast  for  the 
Infantry  Group,  and  I  will  furnish  you  in  cash  one- 
third  of  the  $13,700  ;  and  I  think  by  the  time  the  sec- 
ond payment  becomes  due,  we  shall  be  able  to  meet 


AND  THK  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMKNT.       283 

that  and  the  last  also."  The  Governor  conferred  with 
Mr.  Chatincey  T.  Bowen,  and  other  gentlemen,  who 
heartily  approved  of  the  action  of  Mr.  Scammon,  and 
expressed  the  determination  of  Chicago  to  have  one  of 
the  groups  if  no  other  city  did  so. 

One  of  the  rules  of  the  Association  is,  never  to  order 
any  work  until  they  have  the  money  in  hand  to  pay 
the  whole  amount ;  but  the  Governor  recommended  a 
deviation  from  that  rule  in  the  case  of  Chicago.  The 
other  members  adopted  his  views,  and  on  motion  of 
Dr.  S.  H.  Melvin,  it  was 

"  Resolved :  That,  in  consideration  of  the  proposition — mag- 
nanimous under  the  circumstances — made  by  the  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon  to  President  Oglesby,  as  detailed  in  his  letter  just  read, 
the  Executive  Committee  be,  and  they  are  hereby  directed  to  re- 
quest or  order  Mr.  Mead  to  proceed  to  execute  the  work  upon  the 
Infantry  Group,  and  prepare  the  same  for  the  Monument,  as  stipu- 
lated and  contemplated  in  his  contract  with  the  Association." 

The  following  order  was  then  issued,  with  instruc- 
tions to  Mr.  Mead  to  draw  on  Mr.  Scammon  for 
$4566.661 : 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.  U.  8.  A.  Dec.  11,  A.  D.  1871. 
Mr.  Larkin  G.  Mend,  FLORENCE,  ITALY. 

SIR — You  are  hereby  directed  to  proceed  to  the  construction  of 
the  Infantry  Group  for  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  as  speci- 
fied in  your  contract  with  the  Association,  this  order  being  given 
upon  a  resolution  of  the  Association,  a  copy  of  which  is  herewith 
transmitted. 

Respectfully  yours, 

JOHN  T.  STUART,  ) 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  >•  Executive  Committee. 

JACOB  BUNN,        ) 

Ex-Governor  Oglesby  and  D.  L.  Phillips,  of  the 
committee  appointed  May,  1871,  again  started  east  via 
Chicago  about  the  eighth  of  February,  1872,  for  the 
purpose  of  completing  their  labors  and  of  enlisting  the 
patriotic  citizens  of  some  of  the  eastern  cities  in  the 


284  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

laudable  work  of  supplying  the  means  to  secure  the 
remaining  groups  of  Statuary,  and  to  make  arrange- 
ment? for  having  the  Statue  of  Lincoln  placed  upon  the 
Monument  when  completed  ;  also,  to  secure  the  consent 
of  some  distinguished  American  citizen  to  deliver  the 
oration  on  that  occasion. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Association  on  the  fourteenth  of 
March,  the  committee  made  their  report,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  substance :  One  or  both  of  them  vis- 
ited New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Chicopee,  Albany 
and  Auburn.  At  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia, 
each,  they  received  positive  assurances  from  gentlemen 
eminent  for  their  love  of  country,  that  the  money  would 
be  raised  to  pay  for  a  group  of  statuary.  At  each  place 
the  parties  giving  this  assurance  had  a  book  prepared 
for  recording  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  subscrip- 
tions, of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  making  $13,700, 
the  amount  required.  When  the  subscriptions  are 
completed,  the  books  are  to  be  forwarded  to  Springfield 
and  placed  in  Memorial  Hall,  as  an  additional  attrac- 
tion to  the  contributors,  or  their  friends,  when  visiting 
the  Monument. 

New  York  being  the  largest  seaport  in  the  United 
States,  the  Naval  Group  was  very  appropriately  as- 
signed to  that  city.  The  assurances^  that  the  money 
would  be  raised  for  that  group  was  supported  by  ex- 
Gov.  E.  D.  Morgan,  Russel  Sage,  Col.  G.  T.  M.  Davis 
and  Winthrop  S.  Gilman.  Gov.  Morgan  went  to 
work  among  his  friends  and  very  soon  became  con- 
vinced that  he  would  have  no  difficulty  in  raising  the 
money.  The  following  letter,  written  the  day  before 
Messrs.  Oglesby  and  Phillips  made  their  report,  ex- 
plains itself: 

NEW  YORK,  March  13,  1872. 
Hon.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Decatur,  III: 

MY  DEAR  GOVERNOR — I  have  been  at  work  since  Thursday 
last  upon  the  matter  of  obtaining  the  autographs  of  one  hun- 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.     285 

clred  and  thirty-seven  of  our  citizens,  for  the  purpose  of  contrib- 
uting one  of  the  Bronze  Groups  for  the  monument  to  Abraham 
Lincoln.  I  have  gone  far  enough  to  enable  me  to  assure  you, 
and  the  Association  represented  by  you,  that  I  am  certain  to  be 
successful ;  so  certain  that  I  will  be  responsible  for  raising  the 
sum  of  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars,  being  the  amount 
necessary  to  pay  for  the  group  representing  the  Navy.  Each 
autograph  on  my  book  means  a  check  for  $100,  and  it  may  be 
until  the  middle  of  April  before  the  matter  will  be  complete,  and 
the  certificate  of  deposit  in  the  United  States  Trust  Company  for- 
warded to  you.  Therefore,  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  ordering 
the  modeling  to  be  done  by  the  artist  (Mr.  Mead),  I  want  you  toad- 
vise  him  and  get  him  to  work  without  delay.  My  subscribers  are  all 
chosen,  and  none  refuse,  while  many  thank  me  for  giving  them 
the  privilege ;  and  yet,  time  is  required  to  see  so  many  gentle- 
men. Some  are  not  in  town,  and  others  not  always  at  their  place 
of  business  when  I  call ;  but  be  assured  that  success  is  certain, 
and  that  there  ought  not  to  be  any  delay  in  forwarding  the  order. 
The  artist  may  get  engaged  in  some  other  heavy  work. 
I  am  very  truly  yours, 

E.  D.  MORGAN. 

The  letter  was  transmitted  by  President  Oglesby  to 
Secretary  Hatch,  with  instructions  to  call  a  meeting 
at  once.  The  meeting  was  called  for  March  22d. 
When  the  Association  was  convened,  and  the  letter 
read,  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously 
adopted : 

Resolved,  That  in  consideration  of  the  letter  from  Hon.  E.  D. 
Morgan,  just  read,  we  hereby  request  and  direct  Larkin  G. 
Mead,  Esq.,  to  proceed  without  delay  to  prepare  and  construct  the 
Naval  Group  for  the  Monument,  as  contemplated  and  specified 
in  hia  contract  with  this  Association,  and  draw  upon  them  for 
one-third  of  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars.  The  Sec- 
retary is  hereby  directed  to  cause  to  be  transmitted  to  Mr.  Mead 
a  copy  of  this  order. 


286  THE   GREAT    FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

The  order  was  at  once  forwarded  to  the  artist  at 
Florence,  Italy.  The  money  was  all  paid,  and  re- 
ceived by  the  Treasurer  of  the  Association  at  Spring- 
field, October  4,  1872.  The  models  for  the  Infantry 
and  Naval  Groups  were  completed  and  shipped  to 
Chicopee,  Massachusetts.  In  crossing  the  Atlantic 
ocean  both  Groups  were  somewhat  injured,  but  in 
such  a  manner  as  not  to  affect  the  work  when  com- 
pleted. A  letter  from  the  Association  inquiring  into 
the  progress  of  the  work,  elicited  the  following  re- 
sponse : 

CHICOPEE,  MASS.,  Oct.  10,  1874. 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  Springfield,  III. 

GENTLEMEN:  By  request  of  O.  M.  Hatch,  for  the  Association, 
on  the  7th  inst.,  would  say  that  the  amount  of  cannon  on  hand  is 
44,511  pounds;  have  purchased  similar  stock  at  twenty  cents  per 
pound.  We  are  in  receipt  of  the  models  of  the  Navy  and  In- 
fantry Groups.  The  models  for  Navy  Group  are  repaired,  and 
the  moulding  in  a  good  state  of  forwardness  in  the  foundry,  part 
of  the  castings  being  in  a  finished  state.  The  models  for  In- 
fantry Group  are  not  all  repaired,  but  will  be  ready  to  follow 
Navy  Group  when  out. 

Yours  Truly, 

AMES  MFG.  Co. 

The  Cavalry  Group  was  assigned  to  Boston,  and 
the  assurance  that  the  money  will  be  raised  is  sup- 
ported by  such  names  as  ex-Gov.  Claflin,  Nathaniel 
Thayer,  Alpheus  Hardy,  J.  Wiley  Edmonds,  Horatio 
Harrison  and  others.  Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  so  pleased  with 
the  monument,  while  on  his  first  visit  to  Springfield 
to  participate  in  the  ceremony  of  unveiling  the  Statue 
of  Lincoln,  that  he  expressed  his  decided  opinion 
that  when  the  people  of  Boston  were  informed  of 
the  progress  of  the  work,  they  would  no  longer  delay, 
but  would  raise  the  money  at  once  to  pay  for  the 
Cavalry  group. 


AND   THE    NATIONAL    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.     287 

At  Philadelphia  some  parties  proposed  raising  the 
$13,700  by  subscriptions  of  $1000  each,  bnt  it  was 
nfterwards  decided  to  adopt  the  plan  pursued  in  New 
York.  The  following  are  the  names  of  some  of  the 
parties  who  entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the 
movement,  upon  the  object  being  presented  by  Gov. 
Oglesby:  Col.  John  W.  Forney,  Morton  McMichael, 

G.  W.  Childs,  Henry  Gary. Comly,  the  collector 

of  customs,  and  James  L.  Claghorn. 

Pennsylvania  being  the  largest  iron  producing 
State  in  the  Union,  and  Pittsburgh  the  city  where  the 
greatest  quantity  of  heavy  ordnance  was  manufactured 
during  the  war  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  it  seemed 
appropriate  for  the  commercial  metropolis  of  that 
State  to  furnish  the  Artillery  Group.  The  propo- 
sition made  by  Gov.  Oglesby  that  this  should  be 
done,  was  very  heartily  acceded  to  by  the  gentlemen 
above  named.  Now  that  Boston  and  Philadelphia  can 
see  that  it  only  depends  on  the  fulfilment  of  their 
pledges  to  complete  the  monument  in  all  its  parts,  they 
will  doubtless  vie  with  each  other  in  seeing  which 
shall  be  first  to  fill  its  quota.  As  soon  as  the  money 
is  in  the  treasury  the  Association  will  order  the  work 
to  proceed  on  the  two  groups  together.  If  it  is  done 
soon  the  Association  may  hold  the  two  groups,  now  so 
near  completed,  until  they  can  have  all  four  placed  on 
the  Monument  at  the  same  time,  when  it  will  be  com- 
pleted and  symmetrical  in  all  its  parts. 

Previous  to  the  departure  of  the  committee  for  the 
east  in  February,  1872,  the  feeling  was  almost  unani- 
mously expressed  by  members  of  the  Association  and 
others,  that  in  view  of  the  historical  associations  con- 
nected with  the  death  of  President  Lincoln,  and  the 
attempt  to  assassinate  his  Secretary  of  State,  it  would 
be  eminently  proper  that  the  latter  should  take  the 
leading  part  in  the  approaching  demonstration  at  the 
tomb  of  the  former.  With  the  view  of  making  such 
arrangements  as  would  lead  to  the  consummation  of 


288  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 

the  wishes  of  the  Association,  Gov.  Oglesby  visited 
Auburn,  New  York,  on  the  seventh  of  March,  and  on 
behalf  of  the  Association,  extended  to  the  Hon.  Wil- 
liam H.  Seward  an  invitation  to  visit  Springfield  and 
deliver  the  oration  at  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  of 
Lincoln.  After  taking  one  whole  day  to  consider  the 
matter,  and  consult  with  his  physician  and  family, 
Mr.  Seward  felt  compelled  to  decline  the  invitation 
on  account  of  the  precarious  condition  of  his  health. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


After  the  death  of  William  H.  Seward,  October  10, 
1872,  no  definite  steps  were  taken  towards  dedicating 
the  monument,  until  July  24,  1874.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  held  on 
that  day,  it  was  decided,  by  the  passage  of  a  resolu- 
tion to  that  effect,  that  the  ceremony  of  unveiling  the 
Statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  dedication  of  the 
Monument,  should  take  place  October  15,  1874.  The 
principal  reasons  for  selecting  so  early  a  day  for  the 
ceremonial,  and  without  waiting  for  the  groups  of 
Statuary,  was  that  the  work  was  substantially  com- 
pleted, and  the  members  of  the  Association  being 
nearly  all  men  of  advanced  age.  Of  the  fifteen  origi- 
nal members,  one  only  has  passed  away — Mr.  Tyndale 
— and  he  died  by  violence.  It  was  felt  by  many  of  the 
members  that  this  remarkable  Providential  preserva- 
tion could  not  reasonably  be  expected  to  continue.  In 
addition  to  this,  they  each  cherished  a  very  commen- 
dable desire  to  witness  a  formal  public  recognition  of 
their  almost  ten  years'  labor  of  love.  Another  reason 
why  they  selected  that  particular  time,  was  that  the 
Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  had  decided  to 
hold  its  Eighth  Annual  Reunion  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, October  14  and  15,  1874. 

The  citizens  of  Springfield  commenced  raising  sub- 
scriptions August  18,  1874,  to  defray  the  expense. 
Nearly  $3,000  were  raised,  and  committees  organized 
on  Finance,  Decorations,  Printing,  Banquet,  Salute, 
Music,  and  one  each  on  the  part  of  the  Society  of  the 
19 


290  THE   GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  on  Invitations. 

Six  grand  triumphal  arches  were  erected  across  the 
principal  streets.  They  consisted  each  of  a  central 
arch,  thirty-three  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  thirty  feet 
between  the  pedestals,  each  of  which  had  a  flag  staff 
rising  in  the  centre  to  the  height  of  forty  feet.  The 
central  arches  had  arches  on  each  side,  seventeen  feet 
four  inches  high  in  the  centre,  and  nine  feet  between 
the  pedestals.  One  of  these  compound  arches  was 
placed  at  each  side  of  the  State  House  Square,  on  Ad- 
ams, Washington,  Fifth  and  Sixth  Streets.  Two  oth- 
ers were  erected  on  Sixth  Street,  one  opposite  the  Le- 
land  Hotel  and  one  at  the  Opera  House.  The  arch 
west  of  the  Square,  on  Fifth  Street,  was  devoted  to 
mottoes,  each  expressing  some  sentiment  with  refer- 
ence to  Lincoln.  That  on  the  south,  to  distinguished 
soldiers,  deceased.  The  others  were  covered  with  pat- 
riotic devices,  utterances  and  names  of  distinguished 
living  soldiers.  All  were  decorated  Avith  evergreens 
and  flowers.  The  meetings  of  the  Society  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee  were  held  at  the  Opera  House 
through  the  day  and  evening  of  the  fourteenth,  and 
an  oration  and  many  brilliant  speeches  delivered.  On 
the  morning  of  the  fifteenth  the  Society  held  a  closing 
meeting  at  the  Opera  House,  and  then  joined  the  pro- 
cession and  marched  in  a  body  to  the  National  Lin- 
coln Monument  and  participated  in  the  services  of  un- 
veiling the  Statue  of  Lincoln.  The  closing  part  of  the 
services  of  the  Army  Society  Reunion  was  a  grand 
banquet  at  the  Leland  Hotel,  commencing  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  fifteenth. 

The  Monument  Association  having  decided  upon 
the  time  for  unveiling  the  Statue  of  Lincoln,  the  next 
thing  in  order  was  the  selection  of  an  orator  for  the 
occasion.  That  was  a  delicate  question.  It  had  from 
the  first  been  the  subject  of  great  solicitude  with  the 
Association,  that  a  member  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabinet 


AND   THE   NATIONAL,   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.      291 

or  some  one  connected  with  his  administration  should 
deliver  the  oration.  The  death  of  Seward,  Greeley, 
Chase,  Sumner  and  others,  more  especially  identified 
with  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  political  events  before  and 
during  his  administration,  reduced  the  number  of  his 
distinguished  compeers,  and  in  proportion  increased 
the  difficulty  of  making  a  selection  that  would  give 
general  satisfaction.  At  the  meeting  of  July  24,  a  res- 
olution was  passed,  inviting  the  President  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  to  deliver  the  oration.  Upon  its  being  com- 
municated to  him  by  Gov.  Oglesby,  President  Grant 
replied,  under  date  of  July  31,  1874,  and  says: 

"I  have  kept  the  letter  two  days  "without  answering,  to  fully 
consider  whether  I  can  undertake  a  task  so  different  from  any- 
thing ever  attempted  by  me  before.  My  great  admiration  for  Mr. 
Lincoln's  character,  talents,  and  public  services,  would  tempt  me, 
if  I  felt  able  to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  but  I  do  not;  therefore 
decline  the  honor,  thanking  the  Association  of  which  you  are  the 
President  for  conferring  it  and  hope  you  will  make  a  selection 
of  some  one  who  can  and  will  do  full  justice  to  the  memory  and 
public  services  of  our  noble  martyred  President." 

The  Association  held  a  meeting  on  the  tenth  of  Au- 
gust, at  which  the  following  was  offered  by  Governor 
Palmer : 

Resolved,  That  the  President  of  this  Association  be  requested 
to  communicate  with  the  following  gentlemen  in  the  order  here- 
in named,  with  the  view  to  obtaining  the  services  of  one  of -them 
to  deliver  an  oration  at  the  unveiling  of  the  Statue  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, to-wit :  Gov.  John  A.  Dix,  Hon.  Gideon  Welles  and  Hon. 
O.  P.  Morton. 

Mr.  Hatch  offered  the  following  amendment : 

"And  in  the  event  that  neither  accept,  that  the  President  of 
this  Association,  Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  be  requested  to  deliver  the 
address  upon  that  occasion." 


292  THE   GEEAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Governor  Dix  declined,  pleading  official  engage- 
ments. 

A  special  messenger,  D.  L.  Phillips,  visited  Ex- 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Welles,  at  his  home.  Mr 
Welles  did  not  come  to  an  immediate  decision,  but 
afterwards  declined  by  letter.  Previous  to  receiving 
the  invitation,  Mr.  Welles  had  written  some  very  able 
and  kindly  articles  on  the  administration  of  President 
Lincoln,  in  reviewing  the  Memorial  Address  on  the 
life,  character  and  public  services  of  William  H.  Sew- 
ard,  by  Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams,  at  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  in  April,  1873.  We  believe  that  is  the  only  in- 
stance where  a  cabinet  officer,  who,  during  the  entire 
struggle  for  the  life  of  the  nation  was  daily  on  the 
most  intimate  terms  with  President  Lincoln,  has  so 
freely  commented  on  the  peculiar  traits  of  his  charac- 
ter and  of  the  events  connected  with  his  administra- 
tion. This  is  my  apology  for  digressing  here  to  quote 
some  passages  from  those  articles,  which  were  first 
published  in  the  Galaxy,  and  afterwards  in  book  form, 
entitled  "Lincoln  and  Seward." 

On  page  32,  Mr.  Welles  says : 

"Mr.  Lincoln  was  rriodest,  kind,  and  unobtrusive,  but  he  had, 
nevertheless,  sturdy  intellectual  independence,  wonderful  self-re- 
liance, and,  in  his  unpretending  way,  great  individuality. 
Though  even  willing  to  listen  to  others,  and  to  avail  himself  of 
suggestions  from  any  quarter  which  he  deemed  valuable,  he  never 
for  a  moment  was  unmindful  of  his  position  or  of  proper  relf-re- 
spect,  or  felt  that  he  was  "dependent"  on  any  one  for  the  faithful 
and  competent  discharge  of  any  duty  upon  which  he  entered.  He 
could  have  dispensed  with  any  one  of  his  cabinet,  and  the  admin 
istration  not  been  impaired,  but  it  would  have  been  difficult  if 
not  impossible  to  have  selected  any  one  who  could  have  filled 
the  office  of  Chief  Magistrate  as  successfully  as  Mr.  Lincoln  in 
that  troublesome  period.  In  administering  the  government,  there 
were  details  in  each  department  which  the  Secretaries  respect- 
ively discharged.  Of  these  the  President  had  a  general  knowl- 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.     293 

edge,  and  the  executive  control  of  each  and  all.  In  this  respect 
the  Secretary  of  State  bore  the  same  relation  to  the  President  as, 
his  colleagues  in  the  other  departments."  . 

On  page  206,  he  says : 

"When  the  Republicans,  in  convention  at  Chicago,  chose  their 
standard  bearer,  they  wisely  and  properly  selected  as  their  repre- 
sentative the  sincere  ancJ  able  man  who  had  no  great  money 
power  in  his  interest,  no  disciplined  lobby,  no  host  of  party  fol- 
lowers, but  who,  like  David,  confided  in  the  justice  of  his  cause, 
and,  with  the  simple  weapons  of  truth  and  right,  met  the  Goliath 
of  slavery  aggression  before  assembled  multitudes  in  many  a  well 
contested  debate.  The  popular  voice  was  not  in  error,  nor  its 
confidence  misplaced,  when  it  selected  and  elected  Lincoln.  Af- 
ter his  election,  and  after  the  war  commenced,  events  forced  up- 
on him  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  the  rebellious  States.  It 
was  his  own  act,  a  bold  step,  an  executive  measure  originating 
with  him,  and  was,  as  stated  in  the  memorable  appeal  at  the 
close  of  the  final  proclamation,  invoking  for  it  the  considerate 
judgment  of  mankind,  warranted  alone  by  military  necessity. 
He  and  the  cabinet  were  aware  that  the  measure  involved  high 
and  fearful  responsibility,  for  it  would  alarm  the  timid  every- 
where, and  alienate,  at  least  for  a  time,  the  bold  in  the  border 
States,  who  clung  to  the  Union.  *  *  Results  have  proved  that 
there  was  in  the  measure  profound  thought,  statesmanship,  cour- 
age and  far-seeing  sagacity — consummate  executive  and  admin- 
istrative ability,  which  was,  after  some  reverses,  crowned  with 
success.  The  nation,  emerging  from  gloom  and  disaster,  and  the 
whole  civilized  world,  united  in  awarding  honor  and  gratitude  to 
the  illustrious  man  who  had  the  mind  to  conceive,  and  the  cour- 
age and  firmness  to  decree  the  emancipation  of  a  race." 

On  page  214,  Mr.  Welles  says: 

"Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  many  respects  a  remarkable,  though  I  do 
not  mean  to  say  an  infallible,  man.  No  true  delineation  or  pho- 
tograph of  his  intellectual  capacity  and  attributes  has  ever  been 
given,  nor  shall  J  attempt  it.  His  vigorous  and  rugged,  but  com- 


294  THE   GREAT    FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

prehensive  mind,  his  keen  and  shrewd  sagacity,  his  intellectual 
strength  and  mental  power,  his  genial,  kindly  temperament — 
with  charity  for  ajl  and  malice  towards  none — his  sincerity,  un- 
questioned honesty  and  homely  suavity,  made  him  popular  as 
well  as  great." 

In  his  letter,  dated  Hartford,  Ct.,  August  31,  1874, 
to  the  Monument  Association,  through  Hon.  D.  L. 
Phillips,  declining  the  invitation  to  deliver  the  Ora- 
tion, Mr.  Welles  says : 

"The  intellect  and  capability  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  are,  I  apprehend, 
not  fully  understood  and  appreciated  by  those  who  knew  him 
before  entering  upon  his  great  public  career.  His  vigorous  mind 
was  continually  expanding,  the  horizon  enlarging,  so  that,  on 
the  day  he  was  murdered,  he  was  better  qualified  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  Chief  Magistrate  than  any  man  living.  Well  may 
the  nation  deplore  his  loss." 

After  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  declined,  Gov. 
Oglesby  waited  on  Gov.  O.  P.  Morton  in  person,  at 
Indianapolis,  who  declined  on  account  of  the  state 
of  his  health.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Monument  Associ- 
ation, September  8,  on  motion  of  Col.  D.  L.  Phillips, 
it  was — 

Resolved,  That  the  Association  adhere  to  its  original  resolution 
of  August  10th,  that  Hon.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  at  the  unanimous  re- 
quest and  hearty  concurrence  of  the  Association,  will  deliver  the 
Oration. 

At  a  later  period  it  was  decided  by  the  Association 
to  relieve  Gov.  Oglesby  of  the  work  of  preparing  a 
history  of  the  Monument,  and  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Du- 
bois,  Vice  President  of  the  Association,  was  invited 
to  discharge  that  duty.  Both  accepted  the  positions 
assigned  them. 

A  committee  of  invitation  and  arrangements  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  Ex-Go veriior  John  M.  Pal- 


AND   THE    NATIONAL    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.      295 

mer,  Dr.  S.  H.  Mel'vin  and  Col.  John  Williams.  One 
thousand  invitations  were  sent  out  to  all  parts  of  the 
Union.  Much  the  largest  number  of  those  invited 
responded  in  person  on  the  day  of  dedication,  and 
those  who,  from  any  cause,  were  unable  to  be  pres- 
ent, they  very  generally  answered  by  letter,  express- 
ing their  sympathy  with  the  object  of  the  meet- 
ing, and  regrets  at  their  inability  to  attend.  Among 
these  were  letters  from  Hon.  L.  F.  S.  Foster  of  Nor- 
wich, Ct.  ;  R.  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  Mass. ;  Judge 
G.  L.  CranmerSj  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va.  ;  Prof.  Noah 
Porter,  of  Yale  College  ;  Hon.  John  G.  Palfrey,  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. ;  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson,  of  Baltimore, 
Md. ;  Gov.  W.  P.  Kellogg,  of  Louisana;  Maj.-Gen. 
George  D.  Ramsey,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Gen.  James 
Longstreet,  New  Orleans ;  Gov.  Thos.  A.  Hendricks, 
of  Indiana;  Governor  J.  A.  Campbell,  of  Wyom- 
ing Ter. ;  George  Wm.  Curtis,  Editor  of  Harpers' 
Weekly ;  Rear  Admiral  Th.  Rogers  Taylor,  Newport, 
R.  I.;  Adjutant  General  E.  D.  Townsend,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. ;  Hon.  James  T.  Fields,  Boston,  Mass. ; 
Maj.-Gen.  Andrew  B.  Eaton,  Washington,  D.  C. ; 
Gov.  Thomas  Talbott,  Boston,  Mass. ;  Ex-Gov.  J.  D. 
Cox,  Toledo,  Ohio ;  Henry  C.  Bowen,  of  the  New 
York  Independent;  Hon.  Cassius  M.  Clay,  of  White- 
hall, Ky. ;  Q.  M.  General  M.  C.  Meigs,  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  Alexander  T.  Stewart,  New  York  ;  General 
A.  E.  Burnside ;  General  George  Cadwallader,  Phil- 
adelphia ;  Mrs.  Madeline  Vireton  Dahlgren,  widow 
of  Rear  Admiral  Dahlgren.  Andrew  Johnson,  the 
only  living  ex-President  of  the  United  States,  was  in- 
vited, but  neither  came  nor  responded  to  the  invita- 
tion in  any  way. 

The  work  of  preparation  for  the  grand  event  was 
everywhere  visible  in  Springfield  for  weeks  before. 
The  telegraphic  reports  in  the  morning  papers  began 
to  announce  the  approach  of  distinguished  personages 
and  delegations  from  every  point  of  the  compass,  for 


296  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

thousands  of  miles  distant  in  our  own  country,  and 
some  of  the  English  nobility  who  were  traveling  in 
this  country,  so  timed  their  movements  as  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  unveiling  also.  By  Monday  evening,  Octo- 
ber 12,  the  number  of  strangers  began  to  increase  in 
the  city.  The  earliest  arrivals  were  of  distinguished 
ex-soldiers  and  army  commanders,  in  attendance  on 
the  meetings  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee. Every  train  on  Wednesday  came  loaded  with 
strangers,  and  on  that  night  and  Thursday  morning  it 
seemed  as  though  the  entire  adult  population  of  cen- 
tral Illinois  came  pouring  into  the  streets  of  the  Cap- 
ital. The  hotels  were  crowded  to  overflowing,  and 
private  houses  were  everywhere  thrown  open  to  re- 
ceive the  throng  of  visitors. 

In  addition  to  the  grand  arches,  the  Capitol  build- 
ing, Court  House  and  Postoffice  building,  and  other 
public  buildings  and  business  houses  and  private  res- 
idences were  decorated  most  tastefully  with  drapery, 
evergreens  and  flowers.  The  old  home  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  now  the  residence  of  Col.  Geo.  H.  Harlow, 
Secretary  of  State,  was  one  among  those  most  taste- 
fully decorated. 

On  the  morning  of  October  15,  the  streets  of  the 
city  presented  the  appearance  of  a  moving  mass  of  hu- 
man beings,  and  as  the  hour  approached  for  the  proces- 
sion to  form,  strains  of  music  from  the  various  bands 
in  attendance  began  to  swell  out  on  the  breeze. 

THE     PROCESSION. 

The  Grand  Marshal  of  the  day,  Gov.  John  L.  Bev- 
eridge,  with  his  aids,  appeared  on  north  Sixth  street 
at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  on  Thursday,  Oct.  15,  1874,  and 
commenced  forming  the  procession  in  the  following 
order  : 

FIRST  DIVISION — Gen.  John  Cook,  Marshal,  with 
aids.  This  division  was  composed  of  Elwood  com- 


AND  THE  NATIONAL    LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       297 

mandery  Knights  Templar,  of  Springfield,  111.,  mount- 
ed, followed  by  a  cornmandery  each,  from  Mt.  Pulaski 
and  Decatur,  a  band  of  music  and  three  independent 
military  companies. 

SECOND  DIVISION — Col.  DudleyWickersham,  Mar- 
shal, with  aids.  This  division  was  headed  by  a  mili- 
tary band  from  Newport  Barracks,  Ky.,  and  was  com- 
posed of  the  Governor's  Guard  of  Springfield,  the 
President  and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  other  distinguished  guests ;  the  Orator  of  the  day 
and  other  speakers ;  the  Chaplain  and  other  clergy- 
men, the  whole  division  being  in  carriages. 

THIRD  DIVISION — Gen.  E.  B.  Harlan,  Marshal,  with 
aids  ;  was  composed  of  independent  orders  and  benev- 
olent societies,  with  two  bands  of  music. 

FOURTH  DIVISION — Gen.  R.  N.  Pearson,  Marshal 
with  aids;  was  led  by  the  St.  Louis  Arsenal  Band, 
and  was  composed  of  a  volunteer  company,  the 
"Sherman  Guards,"  of  Pawnee,  acting  as  an  escort  to 
the  Societyof  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  The  Society 
was  led  by  its  President,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman. 

FIFTH  DIVISION — Gen.  John  McConnell,  Marshal ; 
consisted  of  Springfield  Fire  Department,  and  citizens 
in  carriages.  , 

THE   LINE  OP   MARCH, 

was  south  on  Sixth  street  to  Adams;  east  on  Adams  to 
Eighth,  south  on  Eighth — passing  the  old  family  res- 
idence of  Abraham  Lincoln — to  Cook  ;  west  on  Cook 
to  Sixth ;  north  on  Sixth  to  Adams ;  west  on  Adams 
to  Fifth  ;  north  on  Fifth  to  Washington;  east  on  Wash- 
ington to  Sixth;  north  on  Sixth  to  North  Grand  Avenue; 
west  on  North  Grand  Avenue  to  Second  street;  north 
on  Second  street  to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery. 


298  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

The  line  of  march  was  so  ordered  as  to  pass  the 
Lincoln  family  residence,  and  under  each  of  the  six 
Grand  Triumphal  Arches. 

AT   OAK   RIDGE   CEMETERY 

the  people  began  to  collect  at  a  very  early  hour,  and 
the  crowd  about  the  Monument  was  so  great  that  the 
procession  could  only  reach  it  by  the  aid  of  the  mili- 
tary in  opening  up  an  avenue.  When  all  were  as- 
sembled, it  was  estimated  that  there  were  between 
twenty -five  and  thirty  thousand  people  present. 

Gov.  John  M.  Palmer,  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Arrangements,  acted  as  Master  of  Ceremonies.  The 
exercises  opened  with  music  by  the  Newport,  Ky.,  band. 
Gov.  Palmer  then.introduced  Bishop  Way  man,  of  the 
African  M.  E.  Church,  who  offered  the  opening  pray- 
er. He  was  specially  invited,  and  came  from  Balti- 
more for  that  purpose. 

A  choir  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  sang  an  ode  com- 
posed for  the  occasion  by  Mrs.  Mary  Riley  Smith ; 
music  by  Mr.  George  A.  Sanders — all  of  Spriugtield. 
I  quote  one  verse,  with  the  chorus : 

•'We  sing  to  him  whose  soul,  on  heights  divine, 

Has  reached  the  stature  of  the  undefined ; 
In  whom  a  judgment  ripe  and  honor  fine 

Were  blended  with  the  nature  of  a  child ; 
Whose  pen,  with  patient  toil  and  God-like  grace, 

Picked  out  the  puzzled  knot  of  Slavery ; 
Unloosed  the  gyves  that  bound  a  hapless  race, 

And  dared  to  write,  "The  bondman  shall  be  free!" 

CHORUS  : — 

"Then  sing  to  him  from  whom  these  sweet  words  fall : 
'With  malice  towards  none — with  charity  for  all ;' 

And  write  this  epitaph  above  his  grave : 
'He  bound  the  nation,  and  unbound  the  slave.' " 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      299 

After  the  singing,  the  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Vice 
President  of  the  Association,  delivered  the 

HISTORICAL  ADDRESS. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  fell  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  April 
14th,  1865,  after  the  first  expressions  of  horror  and  grief,  and  a 
partial  recovery  from  the  shock  which  for  the  instant  had  para- 
lyzed the  nation,  a  spontaneous  feeling  arose  demanding  that 
some  memorial  should  be  erected,  to  convey  to  future  generations 
the  estimate  placed  by  his  contemporaries  upon  the  life,  virtues 
and  public  services  of  the  martyr  President. 

While  the  funeral  cortege  was  slowly  proceeding  from  Wash- 
ington to  Sringfield,  letters  were  received  daily  by  our  men  in 
public  life,  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  from  people  of 
every  station,  suggesting  that  a  great  National  Monument  be 
erected  over  his  remains,  and  in  many  cases  tendering  contribu- 
tions. 

For  some  days  nothing  was  said  on  the  subject  at  his  own  home, 
where  his  lifelong  neighbors  were  bending  all  their  energies  to 
prepare  for  the  funeral  ceremonies. 

The  first  mention  of  the  subject  in  Springfield  was  in  the  STATE 
JOURNAL  on  the  morning  of  April  24th,  in  the  following  words : 
"We  suggest  that  our  citizens  assemble  at  the  State  House  at  an 
early  day,  and  organize  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  select- 
ing officers  from  the  State  Officials  and  other  leading  citizens  of 
the  State,  and  taking  immediate  steps  for  the  collection  of  the 
necessary  funds.  The  sooner  done  the  better.  Our  idea  is,  that 
the  Treasurer  of  the  State  should  be  made  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Association,  and  that  every  postmaster  and  every  national  bank 
in  the  country  should  be  requested  to  act  as  agents."  The  edito- 
rial closed  with  the  words,  "  Let  us  move  in  the  matter  at  once." 

The  same  day  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  that  had  been 
previously  appointed  by  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of 
Springfield,  to  prepare  for  the  reception  of  the  remains  of 
President  Lincoln,  held  a  meeting,  and,  among  other  items  of 
business, 


300  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Resolved,  That  Gov.  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Lieut.  Gov.  William 
Bross,  Hon.  Sharon  Tyndale,  Secretary  of  State;  Hon.  O.H.  Mi- 
ner, Auditor  of  State ;  Hon.  N.  Bateman,  Sup't  Public  Instruc- 
tion ;  Hon.  John  S.  Stuart,  Hon.  S.  H.  Treat,  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Du- 
bois,  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch,  Hon.  John  A.  McOlernand,  Hon.  Win. 
Butler,  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling,  Hon.  Thomas  J.  Dennis,  Mayor, 
etc  ,  and  such  others  as  they  may  select,  constitute  a  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  funds  and 
disbursing  the  same ;  for  obtaining  grounds  and  erecting  a  mon- 
ument thereon,  in  Springfield,  111.,  to  the  memory  of  our  lament- 
ed Chief  Magistrate,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Resolved.  That  Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  be  the  Treasurer  of  said  Association. 

A  call  was  at  once  issued  by  the  Association  to  "The  officers, 
soldiers  and  sailors  in  the  army  and  navy,  in  camps,  stations, 
forts  and  hospitals,  loyal  leagues,  lodges  of  Masons  and  Odd 
Fellows,  religious  and  benevolent  associations,  churches  of  all 
denominations,  and  the  colored  population,"  requesting  con- 
tributions by  the  second  week  in  May,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as 
possible. 

National  banks  and  postmasters  were  requested  to  act  as  agents. 
The  proceedings  were  telegraphed  to  all  parts  of  the  country  and 
published  in  the  newspapers.  Two  days  after  the  Association, 
was  organized,  its  Executive  Committee  published  an  appeal  to 
the  Nation  that  it  would,  "by  one  simultaneous  movement,  testify 
its  regard  for  his  exalted  character,  its  appreciation  for  his  dis- 
tinguished services,  and  its  sorrow  for  his  death  by  erecting  to 
his  memory  a  monument  that  will  forever  prove  that  Republics 
are  not  ungrateful." 

The  first  work  of  the  Association  was  to  secure,  conditionally, 
the  plat  of  ground  where  the  new  State  House  ie  now  being  built, 
and  the  building  of  a  temporary  vault  thereon.  But  when  the 
remains  of  President  Lincoln  arrived,  it  was  ascertained  that 
Mrs.  Lincoln  objected  to  the  body  being  placed  there,  even  tern 
porarily,  and  at  her  request  it  was  placed  in  the  public  receiv- 
ing vault  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  May  4th,  1865. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL    LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      301 

On  the  8th  day  of  May,  a  call  was  sent  out  by  the  Association 
requesting  all  Sunday  Schools  to  take  up  collections  the  second 
Sunday,  and  all  public  schools  the  first  Tuesday,  in  June,  1865. 

The  Association  was  without  legal  authority  until  May  llth 
1865,  when  it  was  organized  under  the  general  incorporation  laws 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  with  the  following 

"  ARTICLES  OP  ASSOCIATION : 

"  We,  Richard  J.  Oglesby*  Sharon  Tyndale,  O.  H.  Miner,  James 
H.  Beveridge,  Newton  Bateuian,  John  T.  Stuart,  Samuel  H.  Treat, 
Jesse  K.  Dubois,  O.  M.  Hatch,  James  C.  Conkling,  Thomas  J. 
Dennis,  John  Williams,  Jacob  Bunn,  S.  H.  Melvin,  and  David  L. 
Phillips,  all  being  of  full  age  and  citizens  of  the  United  States 
and  State  of  Illinois,  certify  that  we  do  hereby  associate  ourselves 
under  and  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  entitled  "An  act  for  the  incorporation  of  benev- 
olent, educational,  literary,  musical,  scientific  and  missionary  so- 
cieties,  including  societies  formed  for  mutual  improvement  or 
for  the  promotion  of  the  arts,"  approved  February  24th,  1859;  by 
the  following  name  and  for  the  purpose  hereafter  specified. 

Article  I. 

This  Association  shall  be  called  the  "National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment  Association,"  and  be  located  at  Springfield,  State  of  Illi- 
nois, and  shall  continue  in  existence  for  the  term  of  twenty  years. 

Article  II. 

The  object  of  this  Association  shall  be  to  construct  a  monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  city  of  Spring- 
field, Illinois. 

Article  III. 

The  following  persons  shall  be  the  directors  of  the  Association 
during  the  first  year  of  its  existence :  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Sha- 
ron Tyndale,  O.  H.  Miner,  James  H.  Beveridge,  Newton  Bate- 
man,  John  T.  Stuart,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  O.  M.  Hatch,  James  C. 
Conkling,  Thomas  J.  Dennis,  John  Williams,  Jacob  Bunn,  S.  H- 
Melvin,  S.  H.  Treat,  and  David  L.  Phillips. 

In  testimony  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals 
this  llth  day  of  May,  1865. 


302  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

[Seal]  RICHARD  J.  OGLESBY, 

[Seal]  ORLIN  H.  MINER, 

[Seal.]  JOHN  T.  STUART. 

[Seal]  JESSE  K.  DUBOIS, 

[Seal]  JAMES  C.  CONKLING, 

[Seal]  JOHN  WILLIAMS, 

[Seal]  JACOB  BUNN, 

[Seal]  SHARON  TYNDALE, 

[Seal]  NEWTON  BATEMAN, 

[Seal]  S.  H.  TRBAT, 

[Seal]  O.  M.  HATCH, 

[Seal]  S.  H.  MELVIN, 

fSeal]  JAMES  H.  BEVERIDGE, 

[Seal]  THOMAS  J.  DENNIS, 

[Seal]  DAVID  L.  PHILLIPS. 

On  the  same  day,  viz:  the  llth  day  of  May,  1865,  the  Associa- 
tion perfected  its  organization  by  electing  Gov.  K.  J.  Oglesby, 
President;  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Vice  President;  Clinton  L. 
Conkling,  Secretary,  James  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer.  A  code  of 
by-laws  was  adopted,  agents  to  collect  funds  were  appointed,  and 
the  treasurer  directed  to  invest  the  funds  in  United  States  securi- 
ties. 

It  was  still  the  intention  to  erect  the  monument  on  the  ground 
where  the  first  vault  was  built,  but  a  letter  was  received  from  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  dated  at  Chicago,  June  5,  1865,  in  which  she  repeated 
her  objections  to  that  locality. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1865,  it  was  decided  by  a  majority  of  one 
in  a  full  board  of  directors,  to  build  the  Monument  in  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery. 

Six  acres  of  land  were  given  by  the  city  of  Springfield  to  the 
Association  as  a  site  for  the  Monument.  Measures  were  at  once 
taken  to  erect  a  temporary  vault  near  that  belonging  to  the  Cem- 
etery, in  which  to  keep  the  remains  until  the  monument  should 

be  ready  to  receive  them. 

• 

The  body  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  removed  from  the  public  receiv- 
ing vault  to  the  temporary  vault  belonging  to  the  Association, 
Dec.  21st,  1865. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      303 

In  the  process  of  transferring  the  remains,  the  box  containing 
the  coffin  was  opened,  in  order  that  the  features  of  the  deceased 
might  be  seen  and  identified ;  and  six  of  his  personal  acquaint- 
ances: R.  J.  Oglesby,  O.  H.  Miner,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Newton 
Bateman,  O.  M.  Hatch,  and  D.  L.  Phillips,  filed  a  written  state- 
ment with  the  Secretary  of  the  Association  that  it  was  the  body 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1865,  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  Esq., 
tendered  his  resignation  as  Secretary  of  the  Association,  which 
was  accepted,  and  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

Early  in  1868,  the  Association  published  a  "Notice  to  Artists," 
offering,  with  the  usual  conditions,  $1,000  for  the  best  design  for 
a  monument,  and  named  the  first  of  September  as  the  day  for  the 
examination  of  designs. 

Thirty-seven  designs  by  thirty-one  artists,  six  of  them  sending 
two  each,  were  received  and  placed  on  exhibition  in  the  Senate 
Chamber. 

After  patient  and  careful  consideration,  on  the  eleventh  of  the 
same  month  the  Board  announced  its  decision  in  the  following 
resolution : 

Resolved,  That  this  Association  adopt  the  design  submitted  by 
Larkin  G.  Mead,  Jr.,  to  be  constructed  of  granite  and  bronze, 
and  that  the  whole  matter  be  referred  to  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee, with  power  to  act. 

Ample  time  was  taken  to  discuss  the  details  of  a  contract,  care 
being  had  to  fully  protect  the  interests  of  all  parties  thereto.  By 
the  terms  of  the  proposals  for  designs,  the  successful  competitor 
was  entitled  to  the  contract  to  build  the  entire  monument.  When 
Mr.  Mead's  design  was  accepted,  he  at  once  commenced  arrange- 
ments to  build  the  architectural  portion  of  the  monument,  and 
caused  full  plans  and  specifications  to  be  prepared.  Afterwards, 
by  agreement  between  the  Association  and  Mr.  Mead,  he  surren- 
dered  his  right  to  build  the  architectural  part  of  the  monument, 
and  the  Association,  for  good  reasons,  released  him,  and  agreed 
to  pay  the  expenses  he  had  incurred  up  to  that  time. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1868,  a  contract  was  concluded  be- 
tween the  Association  and  Larkin  G.  Mead,  Jr.,  in  which  it  was 
stipulated  that  the  Association  was  to  manage  the  building  of 


304  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

the  architectural  part  of  the  monument,  and  that  it  should  be 
done  strictly  after  the  drawings  and  specifications  of  Mr.  Mead. 
On  his  part,  Mr.  Mead  was  to  mould,  cast  and  deliver  all  the 
statuary  in  bronze,  according  to  his  design,  namely : 

1.  A  statue    of  Lincoln,  not  less  than   ten  feet  high,  for 
$13,700. 

2.  A  group  representing  infantry,  containing  three  figures 
and  appropriate  accessories,  the  figures  to  be  not  less  than  seven 
and  a  half  feet  high,  for  $13,700. 

3.  A  group  of  cavalry,  to  contain  a  horse  and  two  human  fig- 
ures, with  appropriate  accessories,  the  human  figures  to  be  not 
less  than  seven  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  the  horse  in  proportion, 
for  the  sum  of  $13,700. 

4.  A  group  of  artillery,  to  contain  three  figures  and  appro- 
priate* accessories,  the  figures  to  be  not  less  than  seven  and  a 
half  feet  high,  for  $13,700. 

5.  A  marine  group,  to  contain  three  figures  and  appropriate 
accessories,  the  figures  to  be  not  less  than  seven  and  a  half  feet 
high,  for  $13,700. 

6.  The  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States,  as  shown  in  the 
specifications,  for  $1,500— making  a  total  of  $70,000. 

It  was  part  of  the  contract  that  the  Association  should  have 
the  right  to  order  one  or  more  of  these  pieces  or  groups  at  a 
time,  to  suit  its  own  convenience,  and  not  be  under  obligations 
to  pay  for  any  piece  until  a  written  order  was  given  for  the 
same.  When  a  written  order  was  given,  one-third  of  the  stipu- 
lated price  was  to  accompany  it,  one-third  to  be  paid  when  the 
plaster  model  was  delivered  at  the  foundry,  and  the  remaining 
third  when  the  work  was  completed  and  delivered  in  good  order 
at  Springfield,  Illinois. 

It  was  also  stipulated  in  the  contract  that  if  cannon  were  given 
to  be  used  in  the  statuary,  the  value  thereof  should  be  deducted 
from  the  price. 

It  was  further  agreed  that  if  any  donations  of  freight  were 
made,  they  should  be  to  the  Association,  and  not  to  Mr.  Mead. 

Five  business  men  of  New  York,  of  known  responsibility,  gave 
security  for  the  performance  of  the  contract  on  the  part  of  Mr- 
Mead. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      305 

On  the  seventh  day  of  May,  1869,  the  Board  of  Directors,  under 
the  aforesaid  contract'instructed  the  Executive  Committee  to  order 
the  statue  of  Lincoln  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States. 

After  advertising  for  proposals  to  erect  the  monument — except- 
ing the  statuary — the  bid  of  W.  D.  Richardson,  of  Springfield, 
was  accepted. 

A  contract  was  then  entered  into  between  the  Association  and 
Mr.  Richardson,  in  which  he  agreed  to  erect  the  National  Lin. 
coin  Monument,  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetry,  according  to  the  plans 
and  specifications  adopted  by  the  Association,  for  the  sum  of 
$130,550. 

He  was  to  build  the  foundation  during  the  current  year  1869, 
and  complete  the  superstructure  by  January  1, 1871. 

The  Association  agreed  to  pay  Mr.  Richardson  the  sum  above 
named  on  monthly  estimates  as  the  work  progressed,  15  per  cent, 
of  the  same  to  be  withheld  until  the  work  was  completed  accord- 
ing to  contract. 

Ground  was  broken  September  9, 1869,  and  the  massive  founda- 
tion was  completed  before  the  close  of  that  year.  When  the 
spring  of  1870  opened,  materials  were  ready  to  commence  the 
superstructure.  There  was  so  much  delay  on  the  part  of  the  rail- 
roads in  bringing  the  granite  to  the  ground,  that  it  was  found 
impossible  to  finish  within  the  building  season  of  1870. 

Work  was  resumed  early  in  the  following  spring,  and  the  cap- 
stone was  elevated  to  its  position  on  the  obelisk  May  22,  1871. 

The  monument  was  so  far  advanced  that  the  remains  of  Thomas 
Lincoln,  a  son  of  President  Lincoln,  who  died  in  Chicago  on  the 
15th  of  July,  1871,  were  brought  to  Springfield  and  deposited  in 
the  crypt  at  the  extreme  west,  on  the  17th  of  that  month ;  and 
the  remains  of  the  President,  and  of  his  two  sons,  William  and 
Edward,  were  removed  from  the  temporary  vault  to  the  monu- 
ment September  19,  1871. 

The  six  personal  friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  identified  his 
remains  on  the  occasion  of  their  being  deposited  in  the  tempor- 
ary vault,  again  viewed  them,  and  again  certified  in  writing  that 
it  was  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Both  papers  are  on  file  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Association. 

The  evidence  of  identity  is  thus  unbroken. 
20 


306  THE   GREAT    FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

The  total  contributions  to  the  general  fund  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association  have 
amounted  to $144,448  45 

To  this  add  the  sum  realized  for  interest  and  prem- 
iums   35,67245 


Giving  a  total  of $180,120  90 

Which  has  been  appropriated  as  follows : 

L.  G.  Mead,  for  design $1,000  00 

Paid  Larkin  G.  Mead  for  drawings,  specifications  and 

all  details  connected  with  the  architectural  part  of 

the  Monument 5,500  00 

L.  G.  Mead,  statue  and  coat  of  arms 15,200  00 

W.  D.  Richardson,  on  contract 136,550  00 

Temporary  vault 1,612  97 

Expended  on  grounds 3,546  60 

Iron  steps  on  grounds 892  00 

Paid  for  steel  engraving  of  the  Monument  for  Sunday 

school  children,  as  per  agreement 1,150  00 

Superintendence,  printing,  expenses  of  soliciting 

agents,  commissions  to  agents,  etc.,  etc 7,830  13 

Total  appropriations $173,282  70 

The  balance  unappropriated  is  $6,838.20,  which  will  all  find 
profitable  use  in  the  future  improvements  of  the  grounds. 
The  contributions  may  be  classified  as  follows : 

Received  from  States $61,500 

As  follows : 

State  of  Illinois $50,000 

State  of  New  York 10,000 

State  of  Missouri 1,000 

State  of  Nevada 500 

The  next  largest  item  is  the  contributions  of  the  soldiers  and 
sailors,  which  amount  to  $27,682.12. 

These  contributions  by  companies,  regiments,  ships  and  sepa- 
rate commands,  will  avarage  $1  per  man,  and  in  nearly  all  cases 
a  record  is  preserved  of  the  name  of  each  contributor 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN    MONUMENT.     307 

About  $8,000  of  the  sum  is  the  contribution  of  the  colored  sol- 
diers of  the 'United  States  Army. 

Contributions  credited  to  Sunday  schools  amount  to  $18,320.38. 

This  represents  the  contributions  of  1,700  schools;  and  the 
names  of  the  individual  contributors,  embracing  more  than 
60,000  children,  are  enrolled  in  a  separate  book. 

The  contributions  taken  up  in  churches  amount  to  $3,893.03. 
The  contributions  of  benevolent  societies  amount  to  $2,542.39. 
This  sum  is  contributed  by  Lodges  of  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and 
Union  Leagues.  Among  many  contributions  received  from 
public  schools,  the  public  schools  of  California  contributed, 
through  the  State  Superintendent,  $1,780.44.  In  addition  to  the 
before  mentioned,  the  contributions  to  the  general  fund  of  other 
societies  and  organizations,  and  of  individuals,  amount,  in  the 
aggregate,  to  $28,730.09. 

A  considerable  sum,  some  thousands  of  dollars,  is  credited  to 
boxes  which  were  put  up  in  banks  and  post  offices,  and  other 
public  places.  The  large  amount  of  these  anonymous  contribu- 
tions is  the  best  evidence  of  the  interest  of  all  classes  in  the 
undertaking. 

It  has  been  the  rule  of  the  Association  never  to  order  work 
nor  make  any  contract  involving  absolute  payment  of  money 
until  the  money  is  in  hand  to  pay  the  whole  amount. 

The  contract  with  Mr.  Mead  was  drawn  in  recognition  of  this 
rule.  As  already  shown,  the  proceeds  of  contributions,  public 
and  private,  had  been  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  architectural  por- 
tion of  the  Monument,  and  the  statue  of  Lincoln  and  the  coat 
of  arms;  but  until  the  summer  of  1871,  no  special  effort  had 
been  made  to  raise  funds  for  the  four  groups. 

In  July,  1871,  citizens  of  Chicago,  through  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  voluntarily  pledged  themselves  to  raise  $13,700  to  pay 
for  the  infantry  group  of  statuary.  In  December  of  that  year 
the  one-third  of  this  sum  was  paid  to  Mr.  Mead,  and  he  was  or- 
dered to  construct  the  model  of  the  infantry  group. 

Messrs.  Oglesby  and  Phillips,  acting  under  instructions  of  the 
Association,  visited  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  and 
submitted  to  prominent  gentlemen  in  each  of  those  cities  the 
proposition  that  the  three  cities  should  assume  the  cost  of  the 
three  remaining  groups — that  New  York  should  furnish  the 


308  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 

naval  group,  Philadelphia  the  artillery  group  and  Boston  the 
cavalry  group.  This  proposition  met  with  favor  and  encourage- 
ment in  each  city.  In  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Gov.  E.  D.  Morgan,  137  gentlemen  have  subscribed  and 
paid  $100  each,  amounting  to  $13,700,  and  the  naval  group  has 
been  ordered  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  contract. 

It  is  proposed  to  raise  the  same  amount,  in  a  similar  manner,  in 
Philadelphia  and  in  Boston ;  and  the  Association  has  the  pledge 
of  prominent  and  influential  gentlemen  in  each  city  that  it  shall 
be  clone. 

The  Monument  is  finished  and  paid  for.  The  means  are  pro- 
vided for  the  completion  of  two  of  the  groups ;  and  we  hope, 
from  the  assurances  from  Boston  and  Philadelphia,  that  the  two 
others  are  also  provided  for.  If,  however,  we  fail  in  that,  we 
doubt  not  a  generous  people  will  make  up  the  deficiency.  The 
work  stands  to  speak  for  itself.  The  materials  are  granite  and 
bronze — than  which  none  can  more  successfully  defy  the  ele- 
ments. The  foundations  are  laid  deep  and  strong,  and  in  all  the 
details  of  construction,  the  work  is  well  and  faithfully  done. 

Of  the  original  members  of  the  Association,  all  survive  to  see 
the  result  of  their  labors,  except  the  Hon.  Sharon  Tyndale, 
whose  sad  taking  off  by  violent  hands  is  still  fresh  in  our  recol- 
lection. The  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Tyndale  was 
filled  by  the  selection  of  Governor  John  M.  Palmer. 

While  all  the  members  of  the  Association  have  worked  with 
zeal  and  fidelity,  and  without  pecuniary  reward,  the  most  labor 
has  devolved  upon  the  Secretary,  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch ;  the  Treas- 
urer, Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  and  the  Executive  Committee, 
Messrs.  John  T.  Stuart,  Jacob  Bunii  and  John  Williams. 

The  Association  and  its  contributors  are  under  especial  obli- 
gations to  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, and  to  Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch,  Secretary,  for  the  wise  and 
energetic  manner  in  which  they  have  performed  the  many  duties 
of  their  offices. 

The  members  of  the  Association  congratulate  the  artist  upon 
the  success  which  has  crowned  his  efforts  to  give  a  faithful  ren- 
dering of  the  face  and  form  of  the  beloved  dead  whose  remains 
rest  beneath  this  Monument.  Every  member  of  the  Association 
was  a  neighbor  of  President  Lincoln,  and  most  of  them  had 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      309 

known1  him  intimately  since  his  early  manhood.  It  is  their 
unanimous  opinion  that  this  statue  is  a  truthful  likeness,  and 
will  serve  to  give  to  future  generations  a  perfectly  accurate  con- 
ception of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Here  ends  what  has  been  to  the  members  of  the  Association, 
for  almost  ten  years,  a  labor  of  love  and  duty. 

By  the  liberal  contributions  of  a  grateful  nation,  we  have  been 
enabled  to  provide  a  suitable  place  for  the  remains  of  one  of  the 
wisest,  purest  men  known  to  our  national  history. 

There  may  they  rest  in  peace. 

After  music  by  the  Band  the  master  of  ceremonies, 
Gov.  Palmer,  introduced  the  President  of  the  As- 
sociation, ex-Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  who  proceeded  to 
deliver 

THE   ORATION. 

The  tenth  of  a  century  is  about  taking  its  departure  siuce  the 
close  of  the  great  rebellion — an  epoch  in  the  history  of  our  country 
marked  by  glowing  associations,  and  fraught  with  grave  and  im- 
posing consequences — a  rebellion,  in  its  inception  and  upon  its 
inauguration,  which  found  a  contented  and  prosperous  people 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  long  years  of  peace  in  a  government  ot 
their  own  choice,  guaranteed  in  a  constitution  upon  principles  so 
just  and  a  basis  so  firm,  it  was  believed  it  could  enter  into  the 
hearts  of  none  seriously  to  contemplate  its  destruction.  This 
government  had  descended  to  us  from  the  revolution,  well-shapen 
by  the  hands  of  our  fathers,  clothing  in  plain  and  simple  language 
powers  general  and  national  as  to  the  union,  ample  and  local  as 
to  the  states.  Under  its  broad  shield  liberty  sought  and  found 
repose.  There  was  no  citizen  in  its  broad  domain  who  was  not 
unfettered  in  conscience  and  thought,  and  not  consulted  and  rep- 
resented in  all  its  actions —  a  government  the  freest,  the  mildest 
and  the  strongest  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  had,  by  a  long  ca- 
reer of  prosperit}',  unsettled  if  not  destroyed  the  dogma  of  the  old 
school  of  publicists,  "That  the  durable  establishment  of  a  dem- 
ocratic government  was  not  possible  in  a  country  of  great 
extent  and  with  a  numerous  population.  "  There  was  one  stain 


310  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

upon  it — all  men  were  not  free.    The  curse  of  slavery  had  taken 
deep  root  in  an  unnatural  soil. 

The  consciences  of  a  large  majority  of  the  American  people 
were  not  at  rest  with  the  scourge  of  mankind  in  their  midst,  and 
a  new  political  party  was  openly  protesting  against  its  claims  for 
more  general  recognition.  It  had  been  the  source  of  much  dis- 
quiet, and  was  the  prolific  agent  of  endless  discussion  and  dissen- 
sion. At  last,  halting  upon  safe  ground,  with  the  lights  then 
around  us,  the  friends  of  freedom  said  to  the  friends  of  slavery, 
"  We  will  arrest  the  further  spread  of  it  and  place  it  where  the 
public  mind  shall  rest  in  the  belief  that  it  is  in  the  course  of  ulti- 
mate extinction. "  Its  advocates  argued,  "We  will  push  it  forward 
until  it  shall  become  alike  lawful  in  all  the  states,  old  as  well  as 
new,  north  as  well  as  south.  " 

The  rebellion  closed,  leaving  in  its  wake  broken  hopes,  blasted 
anticipations,  ruined  fortunes,  desolated  homes,  and  thousands  of 
dead  and  wounded  soldiers — states  dissevered,  civil  governments 
dethroned,  discord  in  the  place  of  order,  and  social  and  politi- 
cal devastation.  The  soldiers  of  its  vast  armies,  victors  for  a 
time  on  many  fields,  with  a  valor,  courage  and  discipline  in  a 
just  cause  which  would  have  earned  for  themselves  the  praise  of 
all  men,  stacked  their  arms,  parked  their  artillery,  turned  over 
the  public  property  to  the  officers  of  the  union,  and  returned  to 
their  homes  on  paroles  of  honor,  prisoners  of  war  in  a  lost  cause. 

Again  :  The  rebellion  closed  with  the  union  maintained  in  all  its 
strength  and  majesty,  and  with  liberty  preserved.  The  long  years 
of  toil  and  taxation;  of  human  patience  and  human  suffering;  of 
war,  bloody,  destructive  war,  shrouded  in  clouds  of  bitter  an- 
guish, or  lighted  by  the  torch  of  angry  passions,  were  at  last  re- 
warded  by  the  return  of  peace.  A  heroic  people,  that  good  gov- 
ernment might  not  perish  from  the  earth,  had  conquered  the 
most  formidable  enemy  of  modern  times,  and  that  enemy  its  own 
internal,  domestic  home  people.  The  return  of  peace  was  hailed 
as  the  return  of  only  such  a  peace  could  be,  with  unspeakable 
joy,  gratitude  and  thanksgiving.  The  great  words  of  the  great 
president  were  still  lingering  upon  the  tongues  of  men  and  ring- 
ing through  the  hearts  of  all  people.  The  British  parliament 
and  the  British  people  caught  them  up,  as  they  were  caught  up 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      311 

by  all  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe,  and  applauded  them  as  the 
noblest  of  human  utterances: 

"  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  speedily  pass  away;  yet  if  God  wills  that  it 
continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondsman's  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  of  urequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until 
every  drop  of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  shall  be  paid  by  another 
drawn  by  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still 
it  must  be  said,  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous 
altogether.  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with 
firmness  in  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive 
to  finish  the  work  we  are  in;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds; 
to  care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his 
widow  and  his  orphans;  to  do  all  which  may  serve  to  cherish 
a  just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all-nations." 

"  A  just  and  lasting  peace.  "  Late  even  as  February,  eighteen 
hundred  and  sixty-five,  so  earnest  was  the  president  in  his  de- 
sire for  peace,  to  stay  if  possible  the  further  effusion  of  blood, 
and  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  that  he  went  in  person  to  meet 
messengers  from  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  and  submitted  these 
general  propositions : 

First,  the  restoration  of,  the  national  authority  throughout  all 
the  states. 

Second,  no  receding  by  the  executive  of  the  United-  States  on 
the  slavery  question  from  the  position  assumed  thereon  in  the 
late  annual  message  to  congress  and  in  preceding  documents. 

Third,  no  cessation  of  hostilities  short  of  an  end  of  the  war  and 
the  disbanding  of  all  forces  hostile  to  the  government. 

Fourth,  all  propositions  of  theirs  not  inconsistent  with  the 
above,  would  be  considered  and  passed  upon  in  a  spirit  of  sincere 
liberality. 

These  generous  terms  were  not  accepted,  and  nothing  came  of 
the  meeting.  A  fatality  hung  over  these  deluded  people  not  to 
be  propitiated  without  an  unconditional  surrender  of  their  arms 
and  armies.  In  the  interest  of  universal  humanity,  to  the  credit 
of  the  highest  civilization  known  to  the  world,  and  especially 
that  our  own  blessed  country  might  escape  the  impending  humil- 
iation, would  to  God  that  then  and  there,  upon  the  four  years  wild 
carnival  of  passion,  the  curtain  had  fallen.  It  could  not  be  so.  I  have 


312  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

no  heart,  even  at  this  late  day,  to  speak  of  the  sad  event.  Ameri- 
ca is  blackened  with  the  crime  of  assassination  :  Abraham  Lincoln  is 
the  martyr.  Badges  of  mourning  covered  the  whole  laud;  the 
very  air  was  heavy  with  sighs,  and  nature  seemed  to  hang  her 
head  in  sorrow.  Grief— deep,  bitter  grief— filled  the  whole  laud, 
and  malice  at  last,  with  its  victim  before  it,  closed  its  repentant 
lips  and  skulked  away  disarmed  and  discomfited  forever.  The 
sad  news  of  his  death  filled  the  world  with  consternation.  Con- 
dolence poured  in  upon  our  people  from  every  laud  and  tongue. 
Distinctions  of  nationality  and  all  forms  of  power,  forgetting  ani- 
mosities, obliterating  all  lines  of  separation,  came  together  at 
the  bier  of  Lincoln.  Beautiful  in -life,  comely  in  death,  he  was 
annoiuted  with  the  tears  of  all  nations.  There  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  people,  published  by  authority  of  the  national  congress,  a 
volume  of  930  quarto  pages,  coutaiuiug  expressions  of  condolence 
and  grief  over  the  national  bereavement,  from  the  governments 
and  people  of  almost  the  entire  world. 

His  people  took  up  his  body,  and  a  funeral  procession  one 
thousand  miles  long  followed  his  remains  to  his  old  home.  Here 
his  body  lies,  under  the  trees  and  amid  the  people  who  knew 
him  in  poverty  and  honored  him  iu  obscurity,  and  here  it 
will  lie  so  long  as  dust. shall  .mark  the  spot  where  man  has  fallen. 
The  friends  of  his  youthful  manhood  and  the  children  of  those 
who  knew  and  loved  him  when  he  was  yet  unknown  to  the 
world,  will  stand,  one  generation  after  another,  sentinels  over 
his  body.  His  fame,  breaking  through  the  boundaries  of  his 
state  and  nation,  has  gone  abroad  over  a  boundless  world,  and 
will  descend  with  the  march  of  time  doAvn  the  illimitable  age 
of  the  hereafter. 

The  generous  contributions  of  an  admiring  people  have  erect- 
ed over  his  remains  this  monument — an  imposing  and  lasting 
testimonial  to  his  great  worth.  I  must  be  spared  the  task  of 
passing  in  detail  upon  its  merits  as  a  work  of  art.  A  member  of 
the  association  from  its  organization,  heartily  uniting  with  it  in 
selecting  the  design  of  Larkiu  G.  Mead — a  young  native  artist  of 
more  than  national  reputation,  who  connects  his  own  rising 
fame  in  this  structure  with  the  name  of  his  great  subject — I  turn 
it  over  to  the  impartial  criticism  of  the  students,  the  lovers  and 
the  creators  of  art.  Only  this  I  say,  after  a  long  and  somewhat 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      313 

intimate  personal  acquaintance  with  him,  the  colossal  statue  un- 
veiled in  your  presence  to-day  is  the  very  similitude  and  likeness 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Republics  aTe  not  unlike  other  nations  in 
contemplating  the  character  and  cherishing  the  memory  of  the 
illustrious  dead.  What  they  have  said,  what  they  have  done,  is 
quoted  over  and  over  again,  to  impress  upon  the  living  the  im- 
portance of  like  action.  We  create  honorable  customs,  to  bring 
them  again  and  again  to  our  remembrance.  Addresses,  eulogies 
and  orations  are  made  the  willing  instruments  of  their  praise; 
and  at  last,  in  the  hope  of  some  way  bearing  their  fame  further 
along  down  the  course  of  time,  half  doubting  that  civilization 
will  continue  and  history  hold  its  own  faithfully  in  recording 
great  events  and  the  lives  of  distinguished  citizens,  we  erect 
monuments  of  granite,  marble  and  bronze,  that  the  remotest  time 
may  know  such  men  lived. 

A  great  life  draws  after  it  the  ceaseless  attention  of  the  living, 
and  if  it  be  good  also,  is  held  up  in  history,  poetry  and  song  for 
the  imitation  of  nil  men.  Such  was  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
His  birth  and  early  life  at  once  excite  our  attention.  Born  in  a 
forest,  out  of  the  range  of  school  houses,  on  the  margin  of  civili- 
zation, where  nature  yet  almost  held  primeval  dominion,  of 
parents  poor  and  without  education,  he  heard  no  music  but  the 
music  of  birds — he  saw  no  wonders  but  the  wonders  of 
nature.  At  the  early  age  of  eight  years  his  father  moved  from 
the  old  home  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  to  Spencer  county, 
Indiana.  Part  of  the  journey  was  a  ride  down  the  Ohio  river  on 
an  ordinary  raft — something  less  than  a  flat-boat,  but  common 
enough  in  those  early  days  of  western  navigation.  The  change 
of  homes  was  simply  the  exchange  of  one  forest  for  another,  but 
it  was  a  change  from  a  slave  to  a  free  state.  It  was  possibly  the 
unfettering  of  a  young  and  pure  soul -from  what  might  have  been 
a  thralldom.  Soon  after  the  settlement  in  Indiana  his  mother 
died — she  who  had  taught  him  to  read.  In  time  a  step-mother 
entered  the  cabin  door,  and  soon  there  sprang  up  between  the 
boy  and  his  new  mother  an  interest  and  a  love  that  never  died. 
He  went  to  school  about  one  year,  learned  to  "read,  write  and 
cipher,"  and  finished  all  of  education  received  in  that  way.  From 
this  time  until  he  had  grown  to  manhood,  to  all  those  who  care 
to  watch  the  development  of  mind  and  the  growth  of  character 


314  THE   GREAT    FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

under  such  circumstances,  with  one  destined  to  fill  so  large  a 
share  of  the  public  attention  and  to  control  so  much  iu  public 
affairs,  the  young  life  of  Lincoln  presents  much  that  is  interesting, 
instructive  and  novel,  not  however  altogether  unusual  in  the  first 
settlement  of  a  new  country,  and  especially  in  America.  He  was  the 
most  diligent  student  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Columbian  Orator, 
the  Life  of  Washington,  Burns' Poems,  the  Pilgrim's  Progress 
and  the  Bible  he  read  and  studied  over  and  over  again.  Clad  in 
the  rustic  raiment  of  the  times,  as  he  went  from  cabin  to  cabin, 
from  the  gatherings  of  the  pioneers  for  frolic,  and  the  frequent  tests 
of  physical  strength  so  common  in  those  early  times,  to  the  spell- 
ing  school  and  debating  club,  for  the  higher  test  of  mind  iu  study 
and  discussion ;  a  prompt  attendant  upon  all  occasions  either  of 
frolic  or  debate;  seldom  if  ever  second  best  in  any  encounter;  a 
moderator  in  the  settlement  of  disputes  and  the  prevention  of 
quarrels;  and,  when  all  other  remedies  failed,  putting  all  angry 
passions  to  flight  by  a  ludicrous  story  or  a  good  joke — he  came 
in  time  to  be  looked  upon  by  his  admiring  companions  as  a 
prodigy.  The  basis  of  his  moral  structure — laid  iu  those  early 
days,  out  of  reach  of  the  ordinary  temptations  of  vice,  away  from 
the  seductive  influences  of  mere  fashion,  where  the  rules  for  the 
administration  of  justice  were  few  and  easy  of  application,  un- 
hauuted  by  the  vexatious  speculations  of  metaphysics — was  broad 
and  deep.  And  here  he  laid  the  foundations  of  a  faith  that  were 
to  lead  him  through  life:  "Thou  shall  not  make  unto  thyself  any 
graven  image  or  any  likeness  of  anything  that  is  in  Heaven 
above  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  waters  under  the 
earth.  Thou  shall  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them  nor  serve  them" 
— and  he  did  not.  He  worshiped  the  image  of  neither  the  living  nor 
the  dead  in  the  material  world.  Truth  he  did  worship.  TrutL 
aud  Justice  he  did  bow  down  to.  Truth,  Justice  and  Mercy  he 
did  serve,  and  he  had  no  other  master  in  the  moral  world.  He  could 
look  up  into  the  clear  blue  sky  of  Heaven  and  descry  God  every- 
where.  In  the  procession  of  the  worlds  and  the  grand  laws  that 
produce  uniformity,  coulinuity,  order,  beauty  and  justice, 
throughout  all  space  and  through  all  time,  he  beheld  the  benigni- 
ty of  universal  and  divine  intelligence.  "Therefore,  all  things 
whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN    MONUMENT.      315 

so  to  them, "  and,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself, "  he 
comprehended  as  Christian  precepts  and  lived  up  to  them  daily. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  again  moved  with  his  father's  family 
still  further  west.  In  1830  the  historical  family  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  on  the  Sangamou  river  in  Macou  county.  There  are  still 
standing  the  visible  marks  of  his  toil  upon  the  inclosure  around  the 
home  where  the  family  settled.  His  old  friend  and  near  relation,  his 
steady  and  faithful  companion  at  home  and  on  the  long  journey 
to  New  Orleans  on  a  flat-boat,  who  assisted  in  felling  the  trees, 
splitting  the  rails  and  making  the  improvements  upon  the  new 
home  in  Illinois,  now  venerable  in  years,  though  still  blessed 
with  health  and  the  promise  of  a  lengthened  life,  an  ever  watchful 
sentinel  along  the  line  of  life  of  his  great  and  good  friend,  conies  to 
drop  another  tear  on  the  grave  of  one  he  always  loved.  John  Hanks, 
who  stood  by  the  cradle  of  the  mysterious  boy,  shares  his  hum- 
ble part  in  dedicating  a  monument  to  the  departed  statesman. 
At  the  close  of  his  twenty-first  year  he  left  the  paternal  home, 
and  found  his  way  into  Sangamon  county,  not  many  miles  from 
this  city.  Again  locating  on  the  Sangamon  river,  he  made  an- 
other trip  to  New  Orleans,  and  upon  his  return,  in  1832,  volun- 
teered as  a  private,  but  was  immediately  chosen  captain  of  a 
company,  and  served  three  months  in  the  notable  Black  Hawk 
war.  At  the  expiration  of  his  service  in  this  Indian  war  he  be- 
came a  candidate  for  the  legislature,  and  although  not  successful, 
of  the  207  votes  cast  at  his  home,  New  Salem,  he  received  every  one, 
and  this  notwithstanding  there  were  several  popular  candidates  in 
the  field.  Better  fortune  however  was  awaiting  him.  At  the  next 
election  he  was  successful,  and  was  returned  every  two  years 
from  1834  to  1842,  making  a  continuous  service  of  eight  years  in 
the  legislature.  In  the  meantime  he  had  turned  his  attention  to 
the  study  of  the  law,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  The  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  with  whom  he  read  law,  is 
a  member  of  the  association  having  in  charge  this  monument. 

By  this  time  the  name  of  Lincoln  began  to  be  known  through- 
out the  state.  In  the  great  campaign  of  1840  he  was  chosen  by 
the  whig  party  to  bear  the  brunt  of  its  heaviest  work.  After  due 
consideration  and  a  trial  contest  in  the  capital  of  the  state,  be- 
tween the  ablest  debaters  of  both  political  parties,  which  lasted 
for  a  week,  and  which  was  in  the  nature  of  a  political  skirmish, 


316  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Lincoln  was  selected  to  meet  Douglas,  who  at  that  early  period  of 
his  life  was  put  in  the  front  rank  to  uphold  democracy.  To  those 
still  living,  favored  with  the  privilege  of  listening  to  the  joint  de- 
bates of  these  strong  young  men,  it  cannot  be  forgotten  how  inter- 
esting and  able  they  were.  The  place  of  each  was  at  once  fixed  ill 
the  confidence  of  his  party.  They  met,  to  be  in  some  way  held 
together  before  the  public  eye,  for  twenty  years;  met  as  political 
antagonists  and  personal  friends,  to  share  in  political  policies,  and 
to  shape  political  principles  in  the  public  mind,  uniting  their 
names  with  measures  of  the  highest  significance  and  broadest  in- 
fluence upon  American  institutions.  Douglas,  four  years  the 
younger,  with  fair  education,  high  resolves,  and  a  purpose  to  do 
for  himself  in  the  world,  left  his  eastern  home  and  worked  his 
way  to  the  great  west.  Lincoln  had  preceded  him  in  the  same  jour- 
ney. Each  selected  Illinois  for  his  future  home.  In  the  centre 
of  this  j'oung  state,  with  a  population  at  that  time  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  thousand,  they  located  at  no  great  distance 
apart.  Both  studied  law,  and  both  attained  to  some  distinction 
in  the  profession.  Douglas  rose  to  the  bench,  and  was  for  two 
years  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state.  Lin- 
coln gave  his  whole  attention  to  the  practice  of  law  when  not 
engaged  in  politics,  and  I  am  warranted  In  the  statement,  upon 
the  uniform  testimony  of  all  the  great  lawyers  who  practiced  at 
the  bar  with  him,  several  of  whom  are  here  to-day,  testifying  by 
their  presence  the  great  respect  in  which  he  was  held  by  them,  that. 
he  ranked  among  the  first  lawyers  of  the  state.  Both  entered  politi- 
cal life  about  the  same  time.  Douglas  came  from  Vermont,  where 
liberty  early  took  shelter  from  tyranny,  and  where  slavery  found 
no  friends;  Lincoln  from  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground"  where 
slavery  was  already  a  planted  institution ;  one  from  the  north, 
the  other  from  the  south;  one  from  a  free,  the  other  from  a  slave 
state.  From  1840  down  to  1858  they  met  at  intervals  in  public 
discussion,  and  time  and  again  had  debated  all  the  political 
questions  of  those  times.  Both  had  steadily  grown  in  public  favor, 
and  both  had  been  laborious  and  faithful  students  of  the  history 
of  their  country,  and  of  every  public  interest  concerning  that 
country.  In  the  interval  Lincoln  had  served  one  term  in  con- 
gress.  One  circumstance,  not  sufficiently  considered,  had  much,  I 
think,  to  do  with  forming  the  political  character  of  these  two  men, 


AND   THE   NATIONAL    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.     317 

and  of  giving  them  prominence  before  the  country — at  least 
upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  It  was  one  of  location.  Living 
between  the  thirty-ninth  and  fortieth  parallels,  where  the  mighty 
currents  of  population  flowing  ceaselessly  west  from  the  north  and 
south  first  met — where  men  with  anti-slavery  and  men  with  pro-sla- 
very views  came  together,  compared  ideas  and  freely  discussed  the 
subject,  for  the  first  time,  on  equal  terms  and  out  of  its  presence; 
where  there  could  be  no  campaign  and  no  election  to  choose  offi- 
cers for  the  ordinary  purpose  of  civil  administration  that  did  not 
bring  together  at  the  polls  voters  of  opposing  convictions  upon  this 
question,  it  could  not  be  otherwise  than  that  these  prominent 
men  should  be  brought  to  ponder  upon  it  and  to  sift  and  weigh 
all  the  feelings  and  sentiments  involved,  and  all  the  arguments 
brought  to  bear,  one  way  or  the  other,  upon  the  whole  subject. 
Out  of  the  range  of  extreme  views  either  way,  yet  meeting  the  sub- 
ject as  other  public  men  in  the  north  or  south  could  not,  they  pos- 
sessed advantages  for  its  fullest  consideration.  Both  were  for  a 
long  time  inclined  to  compromise.  By  1854  Douglas'  position  may 
be  perhaps  most  fairly  and  correctly  stated  as  one  comparatively  of 
indifference — he  would  leave  it  to  the  people  to  decide  for  them- 
selves. Lincoln,  on  the  contrary,  had  come  to  look  upon  slaver y 
as  a  great  wrong,  a  wrong  to  be  dealt  with,  and,  if  possible,  to  be 
got  rid  of.  Ripe  age  and  riper  experience  were  preparing  these 
men  to  appear  once  more  on.  the  popular  forum.  Eighteen  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  must  come,  whether  hidden  beyond  the  discern- 
ment of  man  or  the  range  of  the  demonstrable  relations  of  cause  and 
effect,  whether  attributable  to  the  mysterious  movement  of  the  fin- 
ger of  Providence  over  the  affairs  of  nations,  or  coming  rationally 
out  of  the  covetous  and  grasping  nature  of  mau  in  his  greed  of 
gain  to  lay  foundations  of  fortune  in  disregard  of  moral  precepts 
and  against  conscience;  the  event,- the  time  must  come,  when 
slavery  in  the  United  States  must  be  met  as  a  national  question — 
must  be  considered  as  a  domestic  institution,  and  must,  in  the 
end,  be  plucked  up  by  the  roots  and  eradicated  -.from  the  soil  of 
the  republic. 

These  two  great  leaders  met  in  joint  debate  in  August,  eigh- 
teen hundred  and  fifty-eight.  The  whole  country  were  spectators, 
for  now  both  were  men  of  renown. 


318  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Douglas,  well  fortified  with  natural  gifts,  a  strong  intellect, a 
clear  understanding,  broad  views,  a  most  tenacious  and  tireless 
memory,  bold  in  thought,  deep  in  conception,  with  a  robust  con- 
stitution, and  though  in  physical  stature  by  no  means  a  giant,  had 
come,  by  his  sixteen  years  of  public  service  in  congress,  his  many 
admirable  speeches  and  his  shining  mental  qualities,  to  be  regard- 
ed as  the  "little  giant" — entirely  familiar  with  the  political  his- 
tory of  the  country,  a  life-long  democrat,  true  to  his  party,  and 
resting  with  undoubting  confidence  upon  its  fealty,  while  it  was 
warm  in  its  attachment  to  him  and  proud  of  his  leadership,  pop- 
ular in  his  manners,  genial  and  warm-hearted  by  nature,  but 
austere  and  courageous  in  the  presence  of  his  adversary ;  with  a 
faculty,  excelled  by  no  American  statesman,  of  clothing  in  the 
mast  exact  and  forcible  language  political  definitions;  clear,  log- 
ical, fluent,  and  at  times  eloquent,  and  withal  exceedingly 
ingenuous, — he  was  a  man  on  the  stump,  before  the  people,  in  a 
campaign,  greatly  to  be  dreaded. 

Lincoln — calm,  self-possessed,  contemplative  by  nature,  his 
mind  capable  of  the  deepest  penetration,  able  to  grasp  any  pro- 
position and  to  analyze  every  element  it  contained ;  cautious, 
taking  no  position  until  every  step  leading  to  it  had  been  tested, 
measured  and  planted  in  its  appropriate  place,  but,  once  resolved 
upon,  not  to  be  driven  from  it  by  open  denunciation  or  specious 
exposition;  by  no  means  dogmatic,  but  exceedingly  tenacious  of 
a  conviction;  shrewd  in  discovering  the  weak  parts  of  an  argu- 
ment, and  capable  of  unraveling  the  most  complex  sophistry; 
clear  in  statement,  powerful  in  argument,  forcible  in  illustration, 
bringing  home  to  the  learned  and  unlearned  alike,  by  reasoning 
the  simplest  and  purest,  a  clear  understanding  of  the  subject  in 
debate ;  rich  in  raillery,  prolific  of  anecdote,  fond  of  apothegm  ; 
in  his  presence  the  pretender  finding  no  quarter  and  the  pretense 
no  mercy;  seeking  no  advantage,  but  hoping  to  make  the  right 
appear  to  all  men  as  the  right  by  addressing  himself  to  the  rea- 
son; the  people  who  listened  were  lifted  up  and  made  to  feel,  by 
his  appeals  to  their  understanding  and  higher  natures,  that  they 
were  a  part  of  the  country  and  rightfully  responsible  for  its  laws 
and  morals;  with  a  humanity  that  included  all  races  and  nations; 
an  honesty  that  extracted  praises  from  his  adversary,  touched  by 
the  conviction  that  a  great  wrong  was  about  being  done,  or  moved 


AND   THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.      319 

by  the  consciousness  of  impending  evil  to  his  country, — he  ranked 
high  above  the  standard  of  ordinary  debate,  and  at  times  was 
truly  eloquent. 

The  debate  covered  the  entire  ground  of  the  slavery  question, 
and  developed  the  views  held  by  each  at  that  time.  Douglas — 
notwithstanding  he  was  perplexed  with  the  Dred  Scott  decision, 
which,  in  some  way,  he  held  himself  bound  to  respect  as  a  judi- 
cial interpretation  of  the  constitution,  although  it  carried  slaves 
as  property,  entitled  to  no  less  protection  than  any  other  property, 
into  the  territories  against  the  will  of  the  people,  or  any  law 
of  congress  or  a  territorial  legislature  to  exclude  it,  and  to  that 
extent  seemed  destructive  of  the  great  principle  of  popular  sov' 
ereignty  to  which  he  was  so  heartily  devoted,  and  which  in  his 
party  he  had  at  one  time  nationalized — continued  boldly  to 
defend  his  favorite  doctrine,  and  still  held  the  people  might  ex- 
clude slavery  from  the  territories  by  unfriendly  legislation. 
Lincoln,  regarding  the  decision  as  fixing  the  status  of  Dred  Scott 
for  the  time  being,  fervently  denied  that  it  was  a  just  exposition 
of  the  constitution,  earnestly  denounced  it  asviolative  of  human 
rights,  and  pledged  himself  to  oppose  it  as  such  until  a  just  public 
sentiment  should  legally  provide  the  means  to>  reverse  it.  He 
held  slavery  to  be  a  moral,  social  and  political  wrong,  and  pro- 
tested against  the  further  spread  of  it  into  the  territories.  At  the 
election  which  followed,  Lincoln  received  a  majority  of  the 
popular  vote — Douglas  a  majority  in  the  legislature,  and  was  re- 
elected  to  the  United  States-senate  for  a  third  term. 

A  strange  destiny  seemed  to  hang  over  these  two  men ;  they 
were  once  more  to  be  opposed  in  a  contest  for  earthly  honors,  for 
the  position  of  highest  usefulness  to  the  truly  patriotic — for  the 
highest  prize  within  the  gift  of  the  American  people.  Lincoln, 
fresh  from  the  late  contest  with  Douglas,  and,  though  defeated, 
occupying  higher  ground  in  the  public  esteem  than  ever  before, 
now  more  generally  known  throughout  the  country,  honored  for 
the  dignity  of  his  course  and  the  wonderful  abilities  he  had  shown 
in  that  debate,  was  nominated  by  the  republican  party  in  1860  its 
candidate  for  the  presidency. 

Douglas,  to  whom  the  democratic  party  was  more  indebted 
than  to  any  living  man  for  zeal  in  defending  its  principles,  and 
for  the  wisdom  he  had  shown  in  finding  ground  on  the  slavery 


THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

question  upon  -which  it  could  stand  with  any  hope  of  success, 
who  had  been  repeatedly  named  for  president,  who  was  in  fact 
looked  upon  as  the  only  man  entitled  to  its  candidacy,  but  who 
at  the  last  moment  was  forsaken  by  that  branch  of  it  which  owed 
him  far  more  than  his  more  faithful  followers  of  the  north,  and 
whose  defection  closed  his  chances  of  an  election,  faithful  to  the 
constitution  and  the  union,  became  the  candidate  of  the  national 
democracy.  I  will  not  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  the  great  cam- 
paign. It  is  enough  to  say  Lincoln  was  elected  president  of  the 
United  States.  The  charmed  circle  woven  by  the  slave  oligarchy 
around  the  temple  of  liberty  was  broken,  and  the  great  advocate 
of  human  rights  placed  at  the  helm  of  the  enfranchised  policy 
of  the  future.  Douglas,  calm  and  dignified  in  defeat,  awaited  the 
inaugural  of  the  president  for  his  new  policy.  The  moment  the 
address  of  the  president  was  closed  he  arose,  expressed  satis- 
faction with  its  tone,  and  gave  promise  of  a  cordial  support  to  all 
measures  looking  to  the  preservation  of  peace  and  the  perpetua- 
tion of  the  union.  "I  take  great-  pleasure,"  he  said,  in  January, 
1861,  "In  saying,  however,  I  do  not  believe  that  the  rights  of  the 
south  will  materially  suffer  under  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Lincoln."  His  last  utterances  in  the  senate  were  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  constitution,  the  union  and  the  country.  At  a 
later  day  in  yonder  capitol,  in  sight  of  the  spot  where  I  now 
stand,  his  last  words  were  words  of  flaming  patriotism,  his  last 
admonition  was  to  traitors,  his  last  appeal  to  patriots.  "The 
shortest  road  to  peace  lies  through  the  most  magnificent  and 
stupendous  preparations  for  war."  United  in  the  high  resolve  to 
maintain  the  dignity,  the  honor  and  the  glory  of  their  country, 
both  fell  victims  iu  the  same  cause,  and  both  lie  buried  iu  the 
same  state.  ^ 

Who  of  living  men  shall  forget,  and  when  shall  history  cease 
to  recount  the  awful  circumstances  in  rapid  succession  forming 
all  along  the  horizon  of  our  unoffending  country's  long  career  of 
peace,  in  the  December  of  1860  ?  One  by  one  states  were  falling 
away  from  the  union ;  treason,  rank  and  foul,  was  plying  its  en- 
vious arts;  passions  long  pent  up  were  breaking  over  the  re- 
straints of  prudence;  the  piled  clouds  of  long  years  of  wrath 
were  making  ready  to  burst  in  torrents  of  devastation  upon  a  peo- 
ple uot  aroused,  and  not  capable  of  being  aroused  for  mouths,  to 


AND   THE   NATIONAL    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.      321 

the  fatal  destiny  iu  store  for  them.  Congress,  as  the  winter  wore 
away,  unable  to  solve  the  difficulties,  at  last  gave  up  all  hope  of 
a  settlement,  and  adjourned  on  the  4th  of  March,  1861. 

To  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  a  nation  in  such  plight, 
Abraham  Lincoln  had  just  been  chosen  by  his  grateful  country- 
men. With  that  large  class  of  men  in  the  west  who  knew  him  per- 
sonally— were  more  familiar  with  his  many  qualities  for  such  a  trial 
— it  was  believed  he  would  be  equal  to  the  gravity  of  the  situation. 
The  world  did  not  know  him  so  well,  and  might  well  enough 
question  his  capacity.  He  knew  this  and  felt  it.  Lincoln  had 
many  advantages  to  fit  him  for  his  great  work.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  personal  courage  and  so  moulded  by  nature  as  to  endure 
any  amount  of  physical  labor..  His  habits  were  unexceptiouably 
good — he  indulged  in  none  of  the  vices  of  society,  sometimes 
carried  to  extremes  in  public  men.  He  had  no  tastes  that  were 
not  simple  and  pure — he  was  born  and  lived  among  the  common 
people — he  was  of  them,  and  iu  deep  sympathy  with  them — he  had 
no  wishes.no  ambitious,  to  lead  him  away  from  nor  to  make  him  for- 
get their  best  interests — he  had  seen  nothing  of  the  world  outside  of 
his  native  laud,  and  as  he  had  prospered  and  grown  into  distinc- 
tion under  its  benign  institutions,  he  loved  his  country  intensely, 
and  wished  to  see  it  strengthened  and  perpetuated.  Wholly  un- 
suspecting and  most  indulgent  of  views  and  sentiments  opposed 
to  his  own,  he  was  slow  to  believe  that  men  would  seriously  com- 
bine and  deliberately  conspire  by  force  of  arms  to  destroy  the 
union.  With  the  greatest  humility  and  self-abnegation  he  set 
out  from  his  home  in  February,  1861,  to  enter  upon  the  great 
work  to  which  he  had  been  dedicated.  His  own  parting  words 
will  best  express  his  feelings  at  that  moment: 

"  My  friends,  no  one  not  in  my  position  can  realize  the  sadness 
I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that  I  am.  Here 
I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century;  here  my  children 
were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies  buried.  I  know  not  hcfw 
soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  I  go  to  assume  a  task  more  difficult 
than  that  which  has  devolved  upon  any  man  since  the  days  of 
Washington.  He  never  could  have  succeded  except  for  the  aid 
of  Divine  Providence,  upon  which  at  all  times  he  relied.  I  feel 
that  I  cannot  succeed  without  the  same  Divine  blessing  which 
sustained  him,  and  on  the  same  Almighty  being  I  place  my  re- 
21 


322  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

Hance  for  support,  and  I  hope  you,  my  friends,  will  pray  all  that  I 
may  receive  that  Divine  assistance,  without  which  I  cannot  sue/ 
ceed,  but  with  which  success  is  certain.  Again  I  bid  you  all  an 
affectionate  farewell." 

His  journey  to  Washington  was  one  continued  ovation.  He 
spoke  at  many  places,  but  his  addresses  were  all  marked  by  the 
same  sad  spirit.  At  Philadelphia,  in  Independence  Hall,  touched 
by  the  memory  of  revolutionary  times,  and  dimly  catching  a 
glimpse  of  his  own  sad  end,  he  said : 

"All  the  political  sentiments  I  entertain  have  been  drawn,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  draw  them,  from  the  sentiments  which 
originated  in  and  were  given  to  the  world  from  this  Hall.  I  never 
had  a  feeling  politically  that  did  not  spring  from  the  sentiments 
embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  That  sentiment 
it  was  which  gave  promise  that  in  due  time  the  weight  would  be 
lifted  from  the  shoulders  of  men.  Now,  my  friends,  can  this 
country  be  saved  upon  that  basis?  If  it  can  I  will  consider  my- 
self one  of  the  happiest  men  in  the  world,  if  I  can  help  to  save  it. 
If  it  cannot  be  saved  upon  that  principle,  it  will  be  truly  awful; 
but  if  this  country  cannot  be  saved  without  giving  up  that  princi- 
ple, I  was  about  to  say,  I  would  rather  be  assassinated  on  the  spot 
than  surrender  it.  I  have  said  nothing  but  what  I  am  willing  to 
live  by,  and  if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  Almighty  God,  to  die"  by.  " 

He  found  the  national  capital  smothered  with»  seditious  and 
treasonable  sentiments.  'It  was  even  seriously  doubted  that  he 
would  be  peaceably  inaugurated.  On  March  4th  he  sent  forth  to 
an  anxious  country  his  inaugural  address.  It  was  marked  by 
wisdom,  dignity  and  forebearance.  -The  whole  north  accepted  it 
as  the  emanation  of  a  patriotic  heart,  and  as  a  just  and  true  ex- 
position of  the  constitution  and  his  duty. 

"I  hold  that  in  contemplation  of  universal  law,  and  of  the  con- 
stitution, the  union  of  the  states  is  perpetual.  I  therefore  consid- 
er that  in  view  of  the  constitution,  the  union  is  unbroken,  and  to 
the  extent  of  my  ability  I  shall1  take  care  that  the  laws  of  the 
union  be  faithfully  executed  in  all  the  states.  In  doing  this  there 
need  be  no  blood  shed  nor  violence,  unless  it  be  forced  upon  the 
national  authority.  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-coun- 
trymen, and  not  in  mine,  are  the  momentous  issues  of  civil  war. 
The  government  will  not  assail  you — you  can  have  no  conflict 
without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  'You  have  no  oath 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      323 

registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the  government,  while  I  shall 
have  the  most  solemn  one  to  preserve,  protect  and  defend  it.  I 
am  loth  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We  must  not 
be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not 
break  our  bond  of  affection.  The  mystic  chords  of  memory, 
stretching  from  every  battle  field  and  patriot  grave  to  every  liv- 
ing heart  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  laud,  will  yet  swell  the 
chorus  of  the  union,  when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will 
be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  nature." 

In  the  light  of  the  intervening  and  sad  experience  between 
that  day  and  this,  we  now  see  how  fatal  the  mistake  that  would 
not  heed  such  words  of  warning  and  hope.  No  suggestions  of 
amicable  settlement,  no  appeals  to  love  of  country,  no  imploring 
for  peace,  could  stay  the  mad  current  of  events.  War  we  must 
have — long,  cruel,  fratricidal  war. 

We  shall  fail,  if  any  attempt  be  made  to  compare  his  administra- 
tion with  that  of  any  other  president.  It  has  no  standard  of  com- 
parison. The  circumstances  are  in  no  respect  similar,  save  in 
the  most  formal  parts.  The  first  and  older  presidents  came  to  the 
discharge  of  their  great  duties  after  the  close  of  a  war,  and  the  ex- 
periment of  a  temporary  government  between  that  war  and  the 
establishment  of  a  constitutional  government,  surrounded  with 
.peace  and  the  warm  attachments  of  a  people  co-operating  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  in  zealous  efforts  to  settle  the  founda- 
tion of  an  empire  of  free  people.  Their  successors  had  wars, 
but  they  were  foreign  wars.  Save  in  one  instance,  there  was  not 
even  the  serious  threat  of  civil  war.  The  thoughts  of  the  great 
men  who  preceded  him  in  the  office  of  president  of  the 
United  States  were  directed  almost  wholly  to  the  establishment 
of  good  government  under  a  constitution  to  be  interpreted  and 
applied  to  the  multifarious  wants  and  circumstances  of  a  rising 
agricultural,  planting,  manufacturing  and  commercial  people;  to 
fixing  in  the  public  mind  the  just  relation  existing  and  to  continue 
to  exist  between  the  states  and  the  new  nation,  and  to  extending 
and  cultivating  peaceable  and  commercial  relations  with  the  civ- 
ilized nations  of  the  earth  Those  who  have  succeeded  him  in  the 
great  office,  found  the  country  at  peace  with  the  world  and  free 
from  civil  war,  rebellion  or  insurrection — encumbered,  it  is  true, 
with  dismembered  fragments,  and  poisonous  with  the  smell  of 


324  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

civil  war  and  bloodshed,  requiring  talents  of  the  highest  order, 
and  the  greatest  firmness  and  prudence,  to  properly  remould  them 
into  the  union.  Tested  by  the  circumstances  of  either,  no  stand- 
ard will  be  found. 

He  entered  upon  the  performance  of  his  duties  like  one  feeling 
his  way  amid  precipices  in  the  darkness  of  night.  Habitually  re- 
gardful of  the  rights  of  all,  with  a  sincere  respect  for  the  consti- 
tution, he  would  exercise  no  doubtful  power  unless  absolutely  in 
the  interest  of  the  union.  His  guiding  star,  his  last  hope,  was  the 
union.  When  it  was  believed  to  be  in  peril,  from  whatever 
cause,  he  would  arrest  that  cause,  aud  appeal  to  the  people  and 
to  congress  to  sustain  him.  He  would  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus,  increase  the. regular,  army,  and  call  out  volunteers  to  pre- 
serve, if  .possible, , the  union,  and  await  the  approval  of  congress, 
which  was  sure  to  come.  Day  by  day,  as  the  storm  was  raging, 
month  by  month,  as  the  cause  of  the  union  seemed  more  doubt- 
ful, he  grew  and  strengthened  and  expanded,  steadily  gaining 
a  stronger  hold  upon  the  country.  Year  after  year,  as  his  mes- 
sages were  laid  before  congress,  with  the  mournful  statement, 
"the  war  still  continues,"  the  people,  with  a  never-failing  confi- 
dence in  his  wisdom,  held  to  his  policy,  and  stood  firm  in*  his 
support. 

These  messages,  will  stand,  as  state  papers,  the  test  of  time  and 
all  criticism.  His  arguments  against  peaceable  and  forcible 
secession,  and  his  admirable  and  exhaustive  reasoning  on  the 
whole  subject  of  our  domestic  troubles,  will  stand  as  monuments 
of  intellect,  logic  and  learning,  as  models  of  purity  and  vigor,  for 
all  time  in  American  political  literature.  He  became  the  great  cen- 
tral figure  in  the  mighty  panorama  of  war.  All  eyes  were  turned 
upon  him,  and  he  was  by  no  means  exempted  from  the  severest 
criticism,  from  the  bitterest  complaints,  and  from  the  general 
discontent,  when  some  fault  was  discovered  or  some  unexpected  ca. 
lamity  overtook  the  country  or  our  arms.  Those  who  craved 
peace  blamed  Lincoln  that  it  did  not  come ;  those  who  clamored 
for  a  more  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  blamed  him  equally 
without  just  cause.  When  those  conflicts  of  words  were  raging 
around  him  he  was  usually  silent,  or  if  he  replied,  it  was  always 
in  good  temper,  and  always  with  complete  effect.  In  the  fall  of 
1863,  to  a  storm  of  this  kind  which  had  been  raging  for  some 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.       325 

time,  he  replied:  "There  are  those  who  are  dissatisfied  with 
me ;  to  such  I  would  say :  You  desire  peace,  arid  you  blame  me 
that  you  do  not  have  it,  but  how  can  we  obtain  it?  There  are 
but  three  conceivable  ways.  First  to  suppress  the  rebellion  by 
force  of  arms.  This  I  am  trying  to  do — are  you  for  it?  If  you 
are,  so  far  we  are  agreed.  If  you  are  not  for  it,  a  second  way  is 
to  give  up  the- union.  I  am  against  that — are  you  for  it?  If  you 
are,  you  should  say  so  plainly.  If  you  are  not  for  force  nor  yet 
for  dissolution,  there  only  remains  some  imaginable  compromise. 
I  do  not  believe  any  compromise  embracing  the  maintenance  of 
the  union  is  possible.  Peace  does  not  appear  to  be  so  distant  as 
it  did.  I  hope  it  will  come  soon,  and  come  to  stay,  and  so  come 
as  to  be  worth  the  keeping  in  all  future  time.  Still,  let  us  not  be 
over  sanguine  of  a  speedy,  final  triumph.  Let  usbe  quite  sober ;  let 
us  diligently  apply  the  means,  never  doubting  that  a  just  God, 
in  his  own  good  time,  will  give  us  the  rightful  result." 

Deeply  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  presiding 
over  a  "government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  peo 
pie,"  and  that  such  government  has  no  safe  foundation,  except  as 
it  shall  rest  upon  the  will,  the  free,  outspoken  opinion  and  will  of 
the  people,  he  studied  with  never  ceasing  industry  not  only  to  find 
out  public  opinion,  but  how  also  to  enlighten  and  advance  it.  He 
was  a  tower  of  strength  in  aiding  popular  opinion  to  move  for- 
ward from  old  to  new,  from  good  to  better  and  advanced  posi- 
tions. He  listened  attentively  to  the  popular  voice,  and  what  is 
more,  and  now  was  greatly  to  his  advantage,  from  long  associa- 
tion with  the  people,  and  having  had  much  to  do  for  most  of  his 
life  in  materially  aiding  in  giving  direction  .to  public  opinion,  he 
knew  how  to  discriminate  between  bluster  and  earnestness — be- 
tween the  ceaseless  rattle  of  a  vast  amount  of  floating  wisdom, 
the  immature  suggestions  of  the  meddlesome  few,  and  the  more 
solid  convictions  of  an  earnest  and  patient  people  taking  time  to 
come  to  just  and  reasonable  conclusion.  But  once  discovered, 
once  known  to  be  honest,  reliable  and  definitely  formed  public 
opinion,  he  gracious!}'  and  firmly  moved  forward  with  it,  taking 
the  right  step  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right  direction ;  and  upon 
the  consummations  of  his  administration,  who  shall  look  back 
and  find  an  error?  Therefore  it  was,  his  opinions  were  all  pow- 


326  THE  GEEAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

erful  with  the  people,  with  the  congress,  and  in  the  deliberations 
of  his  cabinet. 

Profoundly  absorbed  with  the  great  events  around  him,  deeply 
penetrated  with  the  sufferings  of  his  country,  superintending  the 
operations  of  a  million  of  men  on  laud  and  sea,  watching  with 
ceaseless  vigilance  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  deliberating 
with  his  able  cabinet,  consulting  with  the  generals  of  his  armies 
and  the  commanders  of  his  fleets,  keeping  a  constant  watch  upon 
our  somewhat  delicate  foreign  relations,  and  ever  faithfully  weigh- 
ing the  suggestions  coming  to  him  from  the  great  body  of  the  peo- 
ple, he  did  not  descend  into  the  details  of  administration,  and  per- 
haps did  not  consider  it  of  serious  importance  who  were  appoint- 
ed to  subordinate  positions  in  the  civil  service,  or  possibly  who 
was  sent  as  minister  to  a  foreign  court.  Who  now  shall  go  carp- 
ing about  the  country,  and  what  good  shall  come  of  it,  intimating 
that  he  was  of  humble  origin,  without  education,  unlearned  in 
the  philosophy  of  government  and  the  polite  literature  of  diplo- 
macy, and  that  therefore  he  was  not  the  master  of  his  council? 
Leaving,  and  wisely  leaving,  to  the  heads  of  the  various  depart- 
ments the  management  and  direction  of  the  ordinary  and  formal 
duties  of  each,  which  are  never  unimportant,  but  in  a  great  civil 
war  of  the  highest  significance,  in  the  higher  and  graver  respon- 
sibilities of  his  office,  as  to  what  policy  should  control  in  meas- 
ures for  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  the  preservation  of  the  union 
and  the  emancipation  of  a-race,  it  is  not  true,  and  therefore  ought 
not  to  be  history,  that  he  was  not  the  leading  spirit  of  his  admin 
istratiou.  Jt  is  altogether  true  to  say,  and  this  without  disparage- 
ment to  the  distinguished  men  who  composed  it — respected,  hon- 
ored and  loved  as  they  ever  will  be  by  a  grateful  country,  that  in. 
his  cabinet  he  was  premier  and  without  peer. 

It  is  but  repeating  history  to  state  the  rebellion  was  organized 
and  fought  upon  the  idea  of  founding  a  confederacy  upon  the 
corner  stone  of  human  slavery.  It  was  the  counter  purpose  of 
the  friends  of  the  national  government  to  resist  the  dissolution  of 
the  union  for  this  or  any  other  purpose,  and  to  leave  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery  to  state  control,  where  it  then  existed,  and  to 
trust  to  time  and  the  growth  of  a  better  sentiment  for  its  final  ex- 
tinction. It  was,  therefore,  alike  the  cause  of  the  war  and  the 
curse  of  the  country.  From  the  first  it  was  an  element  to  be 


/         AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN    MONUMENT.     327 

dealt  with,  and  in  those  times,  with  the  views  of  mail}-  of  our 
friends,  not  yet  reconciled  upon  its  many  aspects,  to  be  cautiously 
and  wisely  dealt  with.  Lincoln  knew  this,  knew  it  better  than 
the  many  earnest  and  impatient  friends  of  emancipation,  and  was 
perhaps  better  qualified  to  manage  it  than  any  other  living  man. 
His  views  upon  the  subject  were  known  to  the  whole  country  at 
the  time  of  the  inauguration,  for  they  had  undergone  no  change 
since  the  election.  If  the  south  would  remain  in  the  union,  he 
would  not  disturb  the  institution  in  the  states.  If  they  would 
dissolve  the  union,  he  would  be  released  from  that  policy.  The 
war  i  aging,  and  the  enemy  utilizing  these  very  slaves  to  still  more 
firmly  rivet  their  own  chains,  those  of  them  escaping  from  the 
lines  of  the  enemy  or  captured  in  his  posts  or  garrisons  were  per- 
mitted to  remain  inside  of  ours,  and  being  neither  slave  or  free, 
to  their  utter  amazement  became  contrabands.  Next  they  were 
given  employment  in  subordinate  positions  wi'h  our  armies  ia 
the  field.  The  war  still  raging,  and  prejudice  against  these  un- 
happy people  measurably  giving  way,  u  few  were  permitted  to 
garrison  our  forts,  and  finally,  good  sense  and  patriotism,  conquer- 
ing hesitation  and  doubt,  they  were  regularly  enlisted,  armed, 
equipped  and  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  as 
defenders  of  the  republic. 

That  no  experiment  might  remain  untried,  that  no  expedient 
might  go  untested,  early  in  the  war  Lincoln  favored  colonization 
upon  consent  of  the  colored  race  and  of  the  country  to  which 
they  might  prefer  to  go.  This  proving  uuexceptable  and  imprac- 
ticable, the  president  next  proposed,  and  with  great  earnestness 
urged  upon  the  border  states,  in  the  hope  that  all  might  ultimately 
accept  the  plan,  compensated  emancipation.  But  all  these 
schemes  and  projects  failed.  One  other  was  waiting,  which,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  could  not  fail.  The  conviction  was  stead- 
ily growing  in  the  public  mind  that  it  was  the  true  and  only  one — 
that  justice,  mercy  and  fair  dealing  between  man  and  man  de- 
manded it,  and  that  final  success  to  our  arms  could  not  and  ought 
not  to  come  without  it.  Lincoln,  tired  of  expedients,  chastened 
and  strengthened  by  the  woes  of  his  country,  patiently  awaited 
the  coming  of  the  hour  when  a  divided  and  hesitating  public 
opinion,  united  at  last  upon  its  justness  and  expediency,  would 
hail  with  joy  the  great  deed.  Responding  to  the  instincts  of  his 


328  THE    GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

own  nature,  arrayed  in  the  full  development  of  all  the  powers 
that  God  had  given  him,  with  resolution  unalterable  and  purpose 
irrevocable,  he  announced  to  the  world  his  proclamation  of  eman- 
cipation. It  was  "the  new  birth  of  freedom."  Thenceforward 
the  issue  was  not  doubtful.  The  last  great  remedy  had  been  ap- 
plied. It  was  the  true  one.  It  brought  victory  to  our  arms  and 
safety  to  our  country.  It  falls  to  the  lot  of  few-men  to  connec. 
their  names  with  great  events,  but  here  was  a  great  event  and 
a  great  principle — the  principle  of  universal  emancipation ;  the 
principle  that  no  man  is  so  low  that  he  should  be  cut  off  from 
freedom  and  citizenship  in  a  great  republic.  His  name  is  linked 
forever  with  both. 

If  history  shall  become  ungrateful  and  moral  obligations  cease 
to  respond  to  the  calls  ofjustice  and  patriotism  in  that  race  to 
which  he  was  born,  his  fame  will  still  be  safe.  Another  race  of 
four  millions,  with  their  countless  descendants  of  free-born  chil- 
dren, holding  his  memory  in  precious  reverence,  will  sing  an- 
thems of  praise  and  gratitude  to  his  name  forever. 

The  commencement  of  his  second  term  as  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  close  of  the  rebellion,  came  closely  together. 
I  do  not  know  that  the  time  or  the  place  is  fitting  for  an  examin- 
ation of  the  course  likely  to  have  been  taken  by  him  upon  the 
question  of  what  is  now  known  as  reconstruction.  It*  is  true  to 
say,  from  the  great  hold  he  had  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
and  their  immovable  confidence  in  him — a  confidence-  perhaps 
enjoyed  by  no  president  from  Washington  down  to  his  own  time — 
any  plan  maturely  considered  and  seriously  put  forward  by  Liu- 
colu  would  have  met  with  favor,  and  it  is  probable  would  have 
been  adopted  by  the  people.  He  was  a  merciful  and  forgiving 
man.  He  promptly  ratified  the  generous  terms  of  surrender 
dictated  to  the  armies  of  the  rebellion  by  his  humane  and  victori- 
ous general.  His  proclamation  of  pardon  and  amnest}',  of  De- 
cember, 1863,  granted,  with  restoration  of  all  property  rights,  the 
right  to  vote  to  all,  with  certain  specified  exceptions  as  to  classes, 
who  had  been  in  rebellion,  and  who  would  subscribe  an  oath  to 
support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  union 
thereunder,  and  faithfully  abide  by  and  support  all  acts  of  con- 
gress and  proclamations  of  the  president  having  reference  to 
slaves.  This,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  during  the  war.  But 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      329 

now  that  pence  had  come,  by  surrender  and  not  by  compromise, 
as  in  1861,  actual  rebellion  had  released  him  from  the  policy  of 
leaving  slavery  to  the  states,  and  in  time  allowed  him  to  move 
forward  to  emancipation,  so  in  1865  compulsory  submission  would 
have  released  him  from  terms  proposed  in  1863,  and  permitted 
him  to  move  forward  to  higher  and  broader  grounds.  In  addition 
to  the  two  great  facts  that  the  circumstances  of  the  white  and 
colored  population  had,  at  the  close  ofthe  war.  entirely  changed, 
and  the  glimpses  on  .several  occasions  given  out  of  a  purpose 
on  his  part  to  favor  a  most  enlightened  and  liberal  policy  as  to 
all,  so  as  to  reunite  the  country  upon  a  just  and  enduring  basis, 
stood  the  great  fact  that  in  1861  he  had  said  he  would  rather  be 
assassinated  than  surrender  the  sentiment  in  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  tbat  "all  men  are  created  equal."  It  is  not  likely 
at *tb.e  close  of  a  contest  in  which  that  principle  had  been  saved, 
and  for  the  first  time  applied  to  the  whole  country,  he  would 
have  favored  any  plan  which  would  deny  to  either  those  who 
had  laid  down  their  arms  against  the  government,  or  those  who 
had  used  them  in  its  preservation,  the  fullest  rights  implied  and 
covered  by  the  broad  declaration  that  all  men  are  equal. 

Who  shall  forget  that  memorable  scene  in  the  city  of  Richmond, 
which  ought  to  be  cherished  and  perpetuated  forever  as  part  of  the 
history  of  the  closing  days  of  the  unhappy  strife,  where  the  great 
and  good  man— his  heart  swelling  with  modest  pride,  leading  his  lit- 
tle sou  by  the  hand  through  the  deserted  streets  of  the  once  proud 
capital  of  treason,  and  beholding  once  more  the  flag  of  his  country 
in  place  of  a  strange  and  usurping  one,  restored  to  its  rightful  do- 
minion over  an  undivided  union;  grateful  to  Almighty  God  that 
in  His  own  good  time  peace  had  returned  to  a  divided  and  sor- 
rowing people;  cheered  and  animated  by  the  hope  of  a  long 
future  of  prosperity  and  happiness  to  the  country — gave  assurance 
to  the  scattered  and  remaining  few  of  those  who  were  but  yester- 
day in  arms  against  that  flag,  as  they  eagerly  gathered  about 
him,  of  forgiveness  and  an  early  restoration  to  all  rights  in  the 
old  government;  and  to  the  humble  and  long  oppressed,  rescued 
from  a  servitude  dishonorable  alike  to  humanity  and  to  that  flag, 
of  freedom.and  citizenship  in  the  great  republic  forever!  Who 
shall  measure  the  usefulness  of  the  life  of  such  a  man  ?  and  who 
shall  hope  to  do  his  memory  justice?  In  the  long  range  and 


330  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

course  of  time,  come  what  may — whether  a  republic  grounded  on 
the  immovable  foundations  of  justice  and  freedom,  approved  after 
long  experience  and  ages  of  human  happiness  as  the  best  form 
of  human  government  still  standing,  or  whether  a  republic,  torn 
irfto  factions  and  rent  by  the  mad  ambitions  of  men,  in  ruins — this 
monument,  an  enduring  testimonial  to  the  humble  life,  glori- 
ous deeds  and  the  shining  example  of  the  great  citizen  and  mart3rr, 
will  stand  for  the  illumination  of  all  men  of  every  clime,  nation- 
ality and  condition,  who,  in  search  of  the  highest  aims  and  loftiest 
purposes  of  life,  shall  come  to  this  fountain  for  inspiration  and 
hope.  -Here  the  humble  may  take  new  courage,  the  proud  learn 
humility,  the  ambitious  that  the  true  way  to  greatness  lies^hrough 
industry,  integrity  and  patriotism,  and  all  men  that  only  the  truly 
good  can  be  truly  great.  In  no  other  country  under  the  sun  could 
the  obscure  boy  have  found  his  way  through  the  long  succession 
of  mysterious  and  grave  events  to  such  eminence  and  power;  and 
where  and  in  what  land  can  one  be  found  who  wielded  power 
with  such  grace,  humanity  and  wisdom?  The  living  assign  him 
his  proper  place  in  the  affections  of  all  men.  Posterity,  pro- 
foundly moved  by  the  simplicity  of  his  private  life,  elevated  and 
enlightened  by  the  purity  and  splendor  of  his  administration  and 
public  services,  cannot  fail  to  fix  his  place  amongst  those  who 
shall  rank  highest  in  their  veneration.  He  has  gone  to  the  firma- 
ment of  Washington,  and  a  new  light  shines  down  upon  his  be- 
loved countrymen  from  the  American  constellation. 

And  now,  by  the  authority  and  under  the  direction  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  in  the  presence  of  this 
vast  assemblage,  who  bear  testimony  to  the  fact,  and  under  the 
gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God,  I  dedicate  this  Monument  to  the 
memory  of  the  obscure  boy,  the  honest  man,  the  illustrious 
statesman,  the  great  liberator,  and  the  martyr  President,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  the  keeping  of  time. 

Behold  the  image  of  the  Man! 

As  the  closing  words  fell  from  the  speaker's  lips, 

THE   STATUE  WAS  UNVEILED 

By  two  nuns,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  Mother 
Josepha  and  Sister  Rachel,  from.  Jacksonville,  who 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN    MONUMENT.      331 

had  been  specially  invited  to  perform  that  duty  in 
consequence  of  the  respect  felt  for  their  order  by  the 
many  soldiers  who  had  witnessed  their  self-sacrificing 
labors  in  the  camps  and  hospitals  during  the  war  for 
the  Union. 

As  the  veil  of  red  and  white  silk  slowly  moved 
down  before  the  statue,  the  vast  multitude  stood  for  a 
moment  in  breathless  silence,  followed  by  a  gentle  clap- 
ping of  the  hands  and  a  subdued  murmur  of  applause. 
The  choir  then  sang,  "  Rest,  Spirit,  Rest." 

The  following 

DEDICATION    POEM, 
BY    JAMES     JUDSON     LORD. 

Of  Springfield,  Illinois,  was*  then  read  by  Richard 
Edwards,  LL.  D.,  President  of  Illinois  State  Normal 
University  at  Bloomington : 

We  build  not  here  a  temple  or  a  shrine, 
Nor  hero-fane  to  demigods  divine ; 
Nor  to  the  clouds  a  superstructure  rear 
For  man's  ambition  or  for  servile  fear. 
Not  to  the  Dust,  but  to  the  Deeds  alone 
A  grateful  people  raise  th'  historic  stone ; 
For  where  a  patriot  lived,  or  hero  fell, 
The  daisied  turf  would  mark  the  spot  as  well. 

What  though  the  Pyramids,  with  apex  high, 

Like  Alpine  peaks  cleave  Egypt's  rainless  sky, 

And  cast  grim  shadows  o'er  a  desert  land 

Forever  blighted  by  oppression's  hand  ? 

No  patriot  zeal  their  deep  foundations  laid — 

No  freeman's  hand  their  darken'd  chambers  made — 

No  public  weal  inspired  the  heart  with  love, 

To  see  their  summits  tow'ring  high  above. 

The  ruling  Pharaoh,  proud  and  gory-stained, 


332  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

With  vain  ambitions  never  yet  attained ; — 

With  brow  encloutled  as  his  marble  throne, 

And  heart  unyielding  as  the  building  stone ; — 

Sought  with  the  scourge  to  make  mankind  his  slaves, 

And  heaven's  free  sunlight  darker  than  their  graves. 

His  but  to  will,  and  theirs  to  yield  and  feel, 

Like  vermin'd  dust  beneath  his  iron  heel ; — 

Denies  all  mercy,  and  all  right  offends, 

Till  on  his  head  th'  avenging  Plague  descends. 


Historic  Justice  bids  the  nations  know 

That  through  each  land  of  slaves  a  Nile  of  blood  shall  flow: 

And  Vendome  Columns,  on  a  people  thrust, 

Are,  by  the  people,  level'd  with  the  dust. 


Nor  stone,  nor  bronze,  can  fit  memorials  yield 

For  deeds  of  valor  on  the  bloody  field, 

'Neath  war's  dark  clouds  the  sturdy  volunteer, 

By  freedom  taught  his  country  to  revere, 

Bids  home  and  friends  a  hasty,  sad  adieu, 

And  treads  where  dangers  all  his  steps  pursue ; 

Finds  cold  and  famine  on  his  dauntless  way, 

And  with  mute  patience  brooks  the  long  delay, 

Or  hears  the  trumpet,  or  the  thrilling  drum 

Peal  the  long  roll  that  calls:  "They  come!  they  come!  " 

Then  to  the  front  with  battling  hosts  he  fiies, 

And  lives  to  triumph-,  or  for  freedom  dies. 


Thund'ring  amain  along  the  rocky  strand, 
The  Ocean  claims  her  honors  with  the  Land. 
Loud  on  the  gale  she  chimes  the  wild  refrain, 
Or  with  low  murmur  wails  her  heroes  slain ! 
In  gory  hulks,  with  splinter'd  mast  and  spar, 
Rocks  on  her  stormy  breast  the  valiant  Tar : — 
Lash'd  to  the  mast  he  gives  the  high  command, 
Or  midst  the  fight,  sinks  with  the  Cumberland. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      333 

Beloved  banner  of  the  azure  sky, 

Thy  rightful  home  where'er  thy  eagles  fly ; 

On  thy  blue  fields  the  stars  of  heav'n  descend, 

And  to  our  day  a  purer  luster  lend. 

O,  Righteous  God !  who  guard'st  the  right  alway, 

And  bade  Thy  peace  to  come,  "  and  come  to  stay :  " 

And  while  war's  deluge  fill'd  the  land  with  blood, 

With  bow  of  promise  arch'd  the  crimson  flood, — 

From  fratricidal  strife  our  banner  screen, 

And  let  it  float  henceforth  in  skies  serene. 


Yet  cunning  art  shall  here  her  triumphs  bring, 
And  laurel'd  bards  their  choicest  anthems  sing. 
Here,  honor'd  age  sliall  bare  its  wintery  brow, 
And  youth  to  freedom  make  a  Spartan  vow. 
Here,  ripen'd  manhood  from  its  walks  profound, 
Shall  come  and  halt,  as  if  on  hallow'd  ground. 
Here  shall  the  urn  with  fragrant  wreaths  be  drest, 
By  tender  hands  the  flow'ry  tributes  prest ; 
And  wending  westward,  from  oppressions  far, 
Shall  pilgrims  come  led  by  our  freedom-star; 
While  bending  lowly,  as  o'er  friendly  pall, 
The  silent  tear  from  ebon  cheeks  shall  fall. 


Sterile  and  vain  the  tributes  which  we  pay — 
It  is  the  Past  that  consecrates  to-day 
The  spot  where  rests  one  of  the  noble  few 
Who  saw  the  right,  and  dared  the  right  to  do. 
True  to  himself  and  to  his  fellow  men, 
With  patient  hand  he  moved  the  potent  pen, 
Whose  inky  stream  did,  like  the  Red  sea's  flow, 
Such  bondage  break  and  such  a  host-o'erthrow! 
The  simple  parchment  on  its  fleeting  page 
Bespeaks  the  import  of  the  better  age, — 
When  man,  for  man,  no  more  shall  forge  the  chain, 
Nor  armies  tread  the  shore,  nor  navies  plow  the  main. 
Then  shall  this  boon  to  human  freedom  given 


334  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Be  fitly  deein'd  a  sacred  gift  of  heaven ; — 
Though  of  the  earth,  it  is  no  less  divine, — 
Founded  on  truth  it  will  forever  shine, 
Reflecting  rays  from  heaven's  unchanging  plan — 
The  law  of  right  and  brotherhood  of  man. 

After  music  by  the  band,  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  introduced,  and  deliv- 
ered the  following  brief,  but  for  him  lengthy, 

ADDRESS. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

On  an  occasion  like  the  present  I  feel  it  a  duty  on  my  part  to 
bear  testimony  to  the  great  and  good  qualities  of  the  patriotic 
man  whose  earthly  remains  rest  beneath  the  monument  now  being 
dedicated.  It  was  not  my  fortune  to  make  the  personal  acquain- 
tance of  Mr.  Lincoln  until  the  last  year  of  the  great  struggle  for 
national  existence.  During  the  three  years  of  doubting  and  de- 
spondency among  the  many  patriotic  men  of  the  country,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  the  final  result 
would  be  in  favor  of  peace,  union,  and  freedom  to  every  race  in 
this  broad  land.  His  faith  in  an  All-wise  Providence  directing 
our  arms  to  this  final  result  was  the  faith  of  the  Christian  that 
his  Redeemer  liveth.  Amidst  obloquy,  personal  abuse,  and  hate 
undisguised,  and  which  was  given  vent  to  without  restraint 
through  the  press,  upon  the  stump,  and  in  private  circles,  he  re- 
mained the  same  staunch,  unyielding  servant  of  the  people,  never 
exhibiting  a  revengeful  feeling  towards  his  traducers,but  he  rather 
pitied  them,  and  hoped,  for  their  own  sake,  and  the  good  name 
of  their  posterity,  that  they  might  desist.  For  a  single  moment 
it  did  not  occur  to  him  that  the  man  Lincoln  was  being  assailed, 
but  that  a  treasonable  spirit — one  willing  to  destroy  the  existence 
of  the  freest  government  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  was  giving 
vent  to  itself  upon  him  as  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  nation, 
only  because  he  was  such  Executive.  As  a  lawyer  in  your  midst 
he  would  have  avoided  all  this  slander — for  his  life  was  a  pure 
and  simple  one — and  no  doubt  would  have  been  a  much  happier 


AND  THE  NATIONAL   LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      335 

man,  but  who  can  tell  what  might  have  been  the  fate  of  the 
nation  but  for  the  pure,  unselfish  and  wise  administration  of  a 
Lincoln  ? 

From  March,  1864,  to  the  day  when  the  hand  of  the  assassin 
opened  a  grave  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  then  President  of  the  United 
States,  my  personal  relations  with  him  were  as  close  and  inti- 
mate as  the  nature  of  our  respective  duties  would  permit.  To 
know  him  personally  was  to  love  and  respect  him  for  his  great 
qualities  of  heart  and  head,  and  for  his  patience  and  patriotism. 
With  all  his  disappointments  from  failures  on  the  part  of 
those  to  whom  he  had  intrusted  command,  and  treachery  on  the 
part  of  those  who  had  gained  his  confidence  but  to  betray  it,  I 
never  heard  him  utter  a  complaint,  nor  cast  a  censure  for  bad 
conduct  or  bad  faith.  It  was  his  nature  to  find  excuses  for  his 
adversaries.  In  his  deafh  the  nation  lost  its  greatest  hero.  In 
his  death  the  South  lost  its  most  just  friend. 

Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  on  being  introduced,  spoke  as  follows : 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Fellow-Citizens  : 

After  listening  as  we  all  have  to-day  to  eloquent  voices,  I  am 
sure  that  nothing  can  be  added  to  your  gratification.  I  came 
from  my  Eastern  home  from  a  sense  of  public  duty  and  from 
affection  and  regard  for  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  to 
participate  in  the  services  of  this  day.  I  thank  God  that  he  has 
spared  my  life  to  join  with  you  in  paying  this  tribute  to  the 
great  man  that  Illinois  gave  to  the  country  and  the  nation  gave  to 
the  world,  and  I  shall  return  to  my  home,  regarding  it  as  among 
the  great  occasions  of  my  life,  and  among  the  blessings  of  provi 
dence  that  I  have  lived  to  witness  what  I  have  witnessed  here  to- 
day ;  and  to  bear  my  affectionate  tribute  and  my  grateful  memory 
to  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  speech  by  Hon. 
U.  F.  Linder: 

Fellow  Citizens : 

I  regret  that  the  snows  of  66  winters  that  have  fallen  upon  my 
head  have  extinguished  a  great  deal  of  my  fervor  and  eloquence, 


336  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

if  I  ever  had  any.  I  am  sorry,  fellow-citizens,  that  I  have  not 
prepared  something  short,  worthy  of  the  occasion.  I  am  one  of 
the  aged  men.  ******* 

(Turning  and  pointing  to  the  statue)  I  served  in  the  Legislature 
of  1836  with,  that  venerated  man.  We  didn't  always  agree  in 
politics,  but  we  always  agreed  to  disagree  as  friends.  I  met  him 
in  early  life,  when  he  first  came  to  the  State  in  1830,  in  my  own 
town,  Charleston,  Coles  county,  Illinois.  He  was  dressed  in 
plain  jeans  clothes.  I  had  no  idea,  then,  that  he  would  ever  be 
President  of  the  United  States,  nor  did  I  believe  that  there  was 
any  man  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  or  that  there  would  ever  come 
into  the  State  any  man  that  would  be  President  of  the  United 
States.  ******** 

Mr.  Lincoln  and  myself — to  be  serious — came  from  the  same 
county,  and  were  born  within  ten  miles  of  the  same  place.  He 
came  to  Indiana — and  to  a  wilderness ;  I  was  educated  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  though  mine  was  not  an  extensive  library,  it  stood 
out  of  reach  of  anything  Lincoln  had,  and  in  his  presence  I  con- 
sidered myself  always  a  learned  man.  And  when  I  contemplate 
a  boy  like  that,  for  I  do  suppose  his  breeches  were  patched 
at  the  knees  and  his  arms  out  at  the  elbows,  starting  with  his  old 
mother  to  Indiana,  then  a  forest,  and  passing  on  with  his  step- 
mother into  Illinois,  to  be  a  day  laborer  and  a  flatboater ;  a  man 
way  down  in  the  valley  of  humility,  working  his  way  up  and 
on  through  all  the  phases  of  that  eventful  life,  his  brave  and  in- 
domitable earnestness,  fearlessness  and  honesty — never  swerving 
from  his  honesty — finally  fighting  his  way  to  the  Presidency, 
where  we  trace  him  from  that  humble  cabin  in  Kentucky  to 
yonder  monument,  where  he  stands  to-day.  I  say  it  is  a  mira- 
cle— fellow-citizens  it  is  a  miracle  which  only  a  Republican 
people  can  work.  Merit  will  always  meet  its  reward,  and 
whenever  another  Washington  shall  make  his  appearance,  another 
monument  will  go  up.  Yet  that  monument,  however  firm  its 
base  may  be,  the  mouldering  tooth  of  time  will  eat  away;  but 
there  is  another  monument  dedicated  to  Lincoln,  one  built  in  the 
memory  and  with  words  graven  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen, 
and  till  the  last  of  them  shall  cease  to  live,  and  the  English  lan- 
guage cease  to  be  spoken,  that  monument  shall  stand  firm  and 
unfailing  until  Gabriel  blows  his  trump  on  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection. 


AND   THE   NATIONAL,    LINCOLN    MONUMENT.     337 

While  Mr.  Linder  was  speaking,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sher- 
man stepped  quietly  away  to  look  at  the  sarcophagus 
and  catacomb  containing  the  body  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 
On  being  called  for  he  came  forward  and  spoke  briefly, 
from  which  I  make  the  following  extracts: 

I  came  here  with  feelings  of  great  devotion,  desirous  to  see 
and  hear  all  that  could  be  said,  and  I  did  listen  with  intense 
patience  to  that  most  admirable  and  eloquent  speech  of  our  friend, 
General  Oglesby,  and  I  turned  and  looked  at  the  statme  of  Lin. 
coin,  when  the  flag  dropped  from  it,  I  gazed  upon  it  long  and 
well,  because  I  loved  that  form  most  well  in  life.  I  can  bear  him 
no  greater  affection  than  I  do.  I  turned  and  went  with  uncle 
Jesse  Dubois  to  see  the  spot  where  his  body  rests.  I  also  met 
the  artist  of  the  statue,  Mead,  whom  I  knew  in  Florence,  Italy, 
and  went  with  him  to  various  points,  and  viewed  his  work.  Now 
therefore,  I  think  I  have  at  last  done  full  justice  to  the  subject, 
and  I  have  responded  promptly  to  you.  If  you  will  have  it  so, 
with  feelings  of  kindness  for  the  call  to  appear  in  your  presence, 
and  if  I  could  add  one  word  or  utter  one  single  thought  that 
would  add  a  particle  to  the  fame  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  would  say  it 
now;  but  Mr.  Lincoln's  writings,  his  speeches,  and  his  procla- 
mations all  bear  the  stamp  of  an  honest;  fearless,  great,  good  man, 
and  nothing  is  truer  or  better  than  what  General  Oglesby  has 
said,  that  "  true  fame  lies  solidly  only  on  a  pure  character  and 
blameless  reputation."  I  believe  Mr.  Lincoln's  fame  does  so 
rest  as  that  of  Washington,  and  that  it  will  always  be  classified 
side  by  side  with  that  of  Washington.  Surely  no  man  ought  to 
hope  for  a  higher  fame  on  the  earth,  and  such  fame  will  be  Lin- 
coln's. 

Mr.  Larkin  G.  Mead,  the  artist,  was  called  for,  and 
on  being  introduced  to  the  audience,  was  greeted  with 
applause.  He  made  his  bow  as  graceful  as  he  could 
under  the  circumstances,  and  retired. 

Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax,  ex-Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  was  called  for,  and  spoke  briefly  and 
eloquently,  quoting  from  Mr.  Lincoln's  words,  spoken 
22 


338  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE. 

on  the  battle  field  of  Gettysburg,  Nov.  19th,  1863, 
and  applied  then  to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery. 

Hon.  — .  Forster,  M.P.,  of  England,  congratulating 
Gov.  Palmer  on  the  success  of  the  arrangements  and 
carrying  into  execution  the  dedication  exercises,  took 
occasion  to  say  that  the  most  noticeable  feature  of  the 
assemblage  was  in  the  appearance  of  intelligence, 
thrift,  neatness,  health  and  decorum,  and  expressed 
the  opinion  that  it  could  not  be  excelled  in  these  re- 
spects anywhere  in  the  world.  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax 
expressed  the  same  views. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Colfax's  speech,  the  dox- 
ology  was  sung,  and  the  benediction  pronounced  by 
Rev.  Albert  Hale,  of  Springfield,  which  concluded  the 
exercises. 

The  procession  reformed  and  returned  to  the  city. 
The  vast  multitude  gradually  melted  away,  each  and 
all  carrying  to  their  homes  memories  of  the  day 
and  of  the  occasion  that  will  be  cherished  while  life 
endures. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


It  seems  peculiarly  appropriate  that  the  dedication 
services  should  have  been  held  in  connection  with  a 
reunion  of  the  surviving;  veterans  of  one  of  the  grand 
divisions  of  the  army  that  saved  the  nation.  In  the 
fallen  condition  of  our  race,  no  government,  human 
or  divine,  has  ever  commanded  respect  that  was  not 
sustained  by  force  against  internal  as  well  as  well  as 
external  foes. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  as  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  Commander-in-Chief  of  its  armies.  As 
such,  during  the  time  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  nation, 
he  commanded  more  than  one  million  of  citizen  sol- 
diers. War  was  forced  upon  the  nation  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of  destroying  it.  He  was  compelled  to 
submit  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Union,  or  accept  war 
to  prevent  it.  By  turning  to  the  engraving  of  the 
Moument  and  studying  it,  the  reader  will  see  that  it 
teaches  the  lesson  that  the  war  was  for  the  preservation 
ofthe  Union.  When  Lincoln  became  President,  March 
4,  1861,  war  was  threatened,  and  he  plead  with  his  dis- 
satisfied fellow-countrymen  not  to  commence  hostil- 
ities, thus  holding  out  the  olive  branch  of  peace.  The 
reply  was  an  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  which  was  equiva- 
lent to  casting  the  olive  branch  under  foot,  as  shown  in 
the  engraving  of  the  coat  of  arms.  The  Statue  of  Lin- 
coln placed  above  all  those  emblems,  with  the  coat  of 
arms — which  is  emblematic  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States — beneath  his  feet  as  a  pedestal,  gave  him 
authority  for  using  the  infantry,  cavalry,  artillery  and 
navy,  placed  below  and  around  him  ;  tor  holding  the 


340  THE   GREAT    FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

States — built  in  the  Monument  still  lower — in  a  per- 
petual bond  of  Union. 

It  became  imperative  for  him,  as  a  military  necessity, 
to  emancipate  four  millions  of  slaves,  which  is  indica- 
ted by  the  pen  in  his  right  hand,  and  the  emancipation 
proclamation  which  he  had  just  written,  in  his  left. 
The  broken  chain  of  Slavery,  part  in  the  talons  of  the 
eagle  and  part  in  his  beak,  indicates  that  the  contest 
is  ended.  As  the  closing  scene  to  all  this,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  dies  by  a  bullet  from  the  hand  of  a 
rebel  fanatic  ;  thus  dying  the  death  of  a  soldier  as 
truly  as  any  of  the  thousands  who  gave  their  lives 
on  the  field  of  battle  for  the  preservation  of  the  Un- 
ion. 

Vice  President  Dubois,  in  his  address,  attests  the 
zeal  and  fidelity  with  which  all  the  members  of  the 
Association  discharged  their  several  duties,  but  makes 
special  mention  of  Hon.  O.M.  Hatch,  Secretary  of  the 
Association,  Hon.  James  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer,  and 
Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  other 
members  to  mention  these  three  as  deserving  special 
honor. 

Mr.  Hatch  has  conducted  the  correspondence  of  the 
Association  and  recorded  its  transactions  for  nearly 
nine  years.  To  have  done  this  in  a  private  business 
amounting  to  nearly  $200,000,  would  have  commanded 
a  liberal  salary,  and  yet  Mr.  Hatch  has  done  all  this 
without  fee  or  reward,  except  the  consciousness  of 
having  discharged  a  pleasing  but  mournful  duty. 

Mr.  Beveridge  has  not  only  faithfully  accounted  for 
every  dollar  that  came  into  his  hands,  without  retain- 
ing a  farthing  for  his  services,  but  has  added  to  it  many 
thousands  in  accrued  interest. 

The  name  of  John  T.  Stuart  is  indissolubly  asso- 
ciated with  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  the  parallel 
between  them  has  never  been  drawn  that  I  am  aware 
of.  Mr.  Stuart  was  born  in  1807,  in  Fayette  county, 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.     341 

near  Lexington,  the  verv  richest  part  of  Kentucky — 
of  a  Scotch-Irish  family,  distinguished  for  learning 
and  refinement ;  his  father  having  been  a  professor  of 
languages  in  Transylvania  University,  and  after  that 
for  several  years  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 

John  T.  Stuart  was  educated  at  Centre  College, 
Danville,  Ky.,  having  graduated  there  in  1826,  and 
after  that  spent  two  years  studying  in  the  office  of  his 
uncle,  Judge  Breck,  in  Richmond,  Ky.  Thus  prepared 
to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  life,  he  turned  his  back  up- 
on home  and  early  friends,  and  pushing  his  way  to 
the  very  frontier  of  civilization  in  the  fall  of  1828, 
hung  out  his  sign  as  an  attorney  at  law  in  the  little  col- 
lection of  log  huts,  in  what  was  then  almost  a  quag- 
mire, called  Springfield,  Sangamon  county,  Illinois. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  1809,  in  Hardin 
county,  ajmostthe  poorest  part  of  Kentucky,  being  in 
the  cavernous  limestone  region  of  the  Mam  moth  Cave. 
He  came  of  a  Virginia  family  also,  but  the  very  anti- 
podes of  the  Stuarts  in  education,  refinement  and  so- 
cial position,  being  of  that  class  that  has,  from  time 
immemorial,  in  all  slave  States,  been  denominated 
"poor  whites."  He  grew  up  through  the  pinchings  of 
poverty,  without  schools  or  any  other  elavating  social 
influences,  but,  like  the  bee  that  gathers  honey  from 
every  flower,  he  drew  knowledge  from  any  and  all 
sources.  Unlike  Stuart,  who  chose  his  theatre  of  ac- 
tion and  went  to  work  with  well  matured  plans,  Lin- 
coln merely  drifted  along,  snatching  the  means  to  sat- 
isfy the  cravings  of  hunger  and  to  clothe  himself  in 
the  plainest  of  homespun,  by  a  day's  work  here  and 
another  there,  until  he  finds  himself  in  the  more  un- 
promising village  of  New  Salem,  in  the  same  county 
with  Stuart.  Not  having  any  regular  business,  Lin- 
coln was  ready  to  turn  his  hand  to  building  a  flatboat 
and  running  it,  doing  a  day's  work  at  chopping,  or 


342  THE  GREAT  FUNERAL  CORTEGE, 

farm  labor,  or  acting  as  a  "sort  of  clerk"  in  a  country 
store. 

Both  being  on  the  verge  of  civilization,  the  call  for 
fighting  men  to  repel  the  savages  who  were  scalping 
their  neighbors,  brought  these  two  men  together  for 
the  first  time  at  what  is  now  Beardstown  ;  Stuart  as 
Major  of  a  battalion,  and  Lincoln  as  Captain  of  one 
of  his  companies.  They  stood  on  common  ground. 
There  was  a  foe  before  them,  and  both  being  young 
and  fond  of  adventure,  were  intent  on  meeting  him. 
Danger,  and  a  willingness  to  face  it,  made  them  equal, 
and  they  both  felt  it.  The  war  passed  away  and  they 
met  in  the  State  Legislature,  Lincoln  for  his  first,  and 
Stuart  for  his  second  term.  They  roomed  together 
and  while  taking  a  morning  walk  at  Vandalia,  Lin- 
coln asked  Stuart's  advice  whether  it  would  be  best 
for  him  to  study  law  or  not.  Stuart  advised  him  to 
commence  at  once.  Lincoln  said  he  was  poor  and  un- 
able to  buy  books,  and  Stuart  replied  with  an  offer  to 
loan  him  all  the  books  he  needed,  and  to  act  as  his 
preceptor.  At  the  close  of  the  session,  Lincoln  visited 
Stuart  at  Springfield,  obtained  the  books,  with  the 
necessary  instructions,  went  to  New  Salem,  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law.  Two 
years  pass  on,  and  the  preceptor  offers  to  take  his  stu- 
dent into  partnership,  which  brings  Lincoln  to 
Springfield.  Three  years  later,  Stuart  is  elected  to 
Congress  and  the  partnership  ceases. 

They  both  started  out  Whigs  in  politics,  and  con- 
tinued so  until  the  dissolution  of  the  Whig  party,  when 
both,  yielding  to  the  force  of  early  associations,  formed 
new  political  relations;  Stuart  affiliating  with  the 
Democratic  party,  though  never  in  full  sympathy  with 
its  principles,  and  Lincoln  aiding  in  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party,  but  this  divergence  of  polit- 
ical views  did  not  in  the  least  affect  their  personal 
friendship. 


AND  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT.      343 

From  that  to  the  present  time,  the  history  of  Lin- 
coln is  known  to  all  the  world.  While  he  was  serv- 
ing his  first  term  as  President  of  the  United  States, 
Stuart  was  elected  by  the  Democratic  party  to  repre- 
sent his  district  in  Congress.  This  brought  them  to- 
gether at  the  Capital  of  the  nation.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  Lincoln,  left  to  the  promptings  of  his  own 
heart,  would  gladly  have  conferred  office  and  honors, 
with  their  emoluments,  on  his  early  friend  and  bene- 
factor, but  to  have  tendered  them  might  have  been 
misconstrued.  Stuart  heartily  reciprocated  Lincoln's 
friendship,  knowing  that  his  own  position  was  one  of 
self-sacrifice,  as  he  could  not  conscientiously  place 
himself  in  a  position  to  expect  or  receive  official  pat- 
ronage. He  quietly  and  conscientiously  served  out 
his  term  in  the  House  of  Representatives  and  re- 
turned home. 

When  the  news  came  that  President  Lincoln  had 
fallen  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  there  was  no  more 
sincere  mourner  in  Springfield  than  John  T.  Stuart. 
As  Chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  at  a  public 
meeting  of  citizens  on  the  day  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death, 
Mr.  Stuart  reported  a  series  of  resolutions,  the  princi- 
pal one  of  which  was  a  request  that  the  City  Council 
appoint  a  committee  to  co-operate  with  the  Governor 
of  the  State  in  bringing  the  remains  of  the  fallen  Pres- 
ident back  to  his  old  home  for  sepulture.  On  the  24th 
of  April,  Mr.  Stuart  was  one  of  those  named  by  a 
public  meeting  of  the  citizens  to  form  a  National  Lin- 
coln Monument  Association.  When  that  body  had 
raised  funds,  matured  plans  and  commenced  the  work 
of  building  the  Monument,  Mr.  Stuart  was  selected  as 
one  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  by  his  col- 
leagues, .Buim  and  Williams,  was  made  Chairman  of 
the  same. 

During  the  time  the  Monument  has  been  building, 
he  has  acted  as  President  of  the  Springfield  City  Rail- 
way Compa.ny,  President  of  the  Springfield  Watch 


344  THE   GREAT   FUNERAL   CORTEGE, 

Company,  also  as  one  of  the  commissioners  for  build- 
ing the  new  State  House.  He  has,  for  many  years, 
been  the  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Stuart,  Ed- 
wards and  Brown,  and  is  now  the  third  oldest  practic- 
ing lawyer  in  the  State.  Notwithstanding  he  has  been 
thus  engaged,  the  building  of  the  Lincoln  Monument 
has  been  to  him  so  emphatically  a  labor  of  love,  that, 
without  fee  or  reward,  from  the  time  ground  was  bro- 
ken in  September,  1869,  his  vigilant  eye  has  watched 
every  movement  connected  with  the  same,  entering  in- 
to all  the  minutia  of  detail  until  he  saw  it  completed, 
and  witnessed,  in  the  presence  of  more  than  twenty 
thousand  citizens,  the  unveiling  of  the  bronze  imita- 
tion of  his  military  comrade,  legislative  colleague, 
law  student  and  partner,  whom  he  had  seen  rise  to  the 
highest  official  position  on  earth,  become  the  emanci- 
pator of  a  race,  and  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and 
good  government.  That  he  has  witnessed  all  these 
changes  and  been  more  active  than  any  other  man  in 
erecting  this  Masoleum,  the  like  of  which  is  no 
where  else  to  be  found  on  the  continent  of  America, 
must  be  difficult  for  him  to  realize.  Stretching  like  a 
panorama  over  so  many  years  of  his  life,  it  must  seem 
to  him  more  like  some  strange  vision  of  the  mind  than 
the  veritable  events  of  real  history. 

The  case  of  Mr.  Stuart  presents  the  interesting  and 
extraordinary  spectacle  of  a  man  who  was  in  success- 
ful law  practice  before  Abraham  Lincoln  ever  set  foot 
on  the  prairies  of  Illinois  ;  who  advised  and  encour- 
aged him  to  the  study  of  law  ;  witnessed  his  upward 
steps  until  his  fame  filled  the  whole  civilized  world  ; 
now,  in  the  year  1874,  nearly  ten  years  after  the 
tragic  death  of  Lincoln,  practicing  his  profession 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  where  he  commenced,  and 
who  has  not  yet  reached  his  three  score  years  and  ten, 
but,  still  strong  in  body  and  mind,  is  slowly  and 
gracefully  descending  the  sunset  slopes  of  life. 


AND   THE   NATIONAL   LINCOLN   MONUMENT.       345 

The  Executive  Committee  made  a  report  October 
28,  1874,  showing  that  the  architectural  part  of  the 
Monument  is  completed,  and  every  obligation  paid. 
The  report  was  received  and  approved.  On  the  same 
day,  the  Association  adopted  a  resolution  appointing 
J.  C.  Power,  author  of  this  volume,  Custodian,  and 
on  the  29th  of  October  it  was  first  regularly  opened 
for  the  reception  of  visitors. 

The  Association  now  owns  nine  acres  of  land  in  a 
central  and  commanding  position  in  Oak  Ridge  Cem- 
etery, with  right  of  way  to  and  from  it.  According  to 
the  terms  of  the  charter,  the  Association  terminates 
its  existence  May  11,  1885.  That  gives  ample  time, 
and  none  too  much,  for  completing  the  groups  of 
Statuary,  building  a  residence  for  the  Custodian,  and 
ornamenting  the  grounds.  At  the  termination  of  the 
charter,  the  Monument  and  grounds  pass  to  the  care 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  a  sacred  trust  to  be  transmit- 
ted to  posterity. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  effort  to  build  a  Mon- 
ument to  the  memory  of  the  Illustrious  Patriot, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  has  proved  a  grand  success.  It 
is  a  magnificent  structure,  far  surpassing  every  other 
work  of  the  kind  on  the  continent  of  America.  In 
beauty  of  design  it  is  unique.  For  all  coming  time 
it  will  be  a  Shrine  at  which  patriots  will  delight  to 
renew  their  vows  to  Truth,  Justice  and  Liberty. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


OAK   EIDGE   CEMETERY. 

When  Springfield  was  only  a  village,  four  acres  of 
land  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  old  State  House 
was  donated  by  Elijah  lies  for  a  "  grave  yard/'  and  a 
few  years  later  another  was  laid  out  immediately  west 
of  it,  called  Hutchinson  Cemetery.  It  consisted  of 
about  four  acres  also,  and  was  regularly  laid  out. 
Lots  were  sold,  and  considerable  eifort  made  to  or- 
nament the  grounds.  As  the  town  emerged  from  its 
village  condition  and  manifested  signs  of  larger  growth, 
it  became  evident  that  some  other  arrangement  should 
be  made  for  the  burial  of  the  dead.  With  this  object 
in  view,  Alderman  Charles  H.  Lanphier,  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  May,  1855,  introduced  the  subject  of  pur- 
chasing land  for  a  permanent  grave  yard  outside  the 
city  limits. 

After  it  was  decided  by  the  city  council  to  purchase 
grounds  for  the  purpose  designated,  two  sites  were  pro- 
posed, and  on  bringing  the  subject  of  location  to  a 
vote,  it  was  found  that  the  aldermen  were  equally  di- 
vided. Gen.  John  Cook,  then  and  now  of  Springfield, 
was  mayor  of  the  city.  The  position  of  the  aldermen 
threw  the  responsibility  of  giving  the  casting  vote  on 
the  mayor.  The  friends  of  the  successful  locality 
awarded  to  Mayor  Cook  the  honor  of  naming  the 
ground,  and  he  called  it  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery.  On 
the  fourth  of  June  the  city  received  of  A.  G.  Herndon 
and  wife,  a  deed  to  a  fraction  less  than  seventeen  acres 
of  land,  for  which  it  paid  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
On  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1856,  eleven  and  a  half  acres 


OAK   EIDGE   CEMETERY.  347 

more  were  purchased  as  an  addition  to  the  cemetery. 
At  the  same  time — May  14,  1856 — an  ordinance  was 
passed  by  the  city  council  prohibiting  interments  in 
the  old  town  grave  yard,  and  forbidding  the  enlarge- 
ment of  any  cemetery  within  half  a  mile  of  the  city 
limits,  which  latter  provision  could  only  apply  to 
Hutchinson  Cemetery.  An  additional  ordinance  was 
passed  at  the  same  time,  setting  apart  the  twenty-eight 
and  a  half  acres  as  a  place  of  burial  for  the  dead,  un- 
der the  name  given  it  by  mayor  Cook.  The  cemetery 
was  enclosed  with  a  substantial  fence  at  the  expense 
of  the  city,  and  for  two  or  three  years  it  was  used  as  a 
place  of  burial  for  the  poor  only.  There  being  no 
sexton,  parties  dug  graves  wherever  they  pleased,  of 
which  there  was  no  record  preserved. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  April,  1858,  and  from  that  time, 
a  register  has  been  kept  of  all  the  interments.  The 
grounds  began  to  present  a  more  orderly  appearance,  but 
it  required  a  great  amount  of  labor  to  remove  the  un- 
der-brush. Up  to  this  time  the  ground  was  directly 
under  the  control  of  the  city  authorities,  but  it  was 
thought  desirable  to  identify  lot  owners  more  closely 
with  it,  and-  make  them,  to  some  extent,  responsible 
for  its  management.  In  1859  the  Legislature  was  ap- 
plied to  for  some  charter  amendments,  which  were 
granted,  authorizing  the  city  council  to  elect  annually 
a  board  of  five  managers,  each  one  of  whom  should  be 
a  lot  owner,  and  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  take  charge 
of  all  the  funds  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  cemetery, 
and  direct  all  the  improvements  in  the  grounds. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  March,  1860,  the  first  selection 
of  managers  took  place,  and  on  the  ninth  of  April  the 
board  organized  and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  assigned  them.  On  the  twenty-sixth  of  that  month, 
the  board  resolved  to  set  apart  the  twenty-fourth  of 
May  for  the  purpose  of  consecrating  and  dedicating 
the  grounds  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery  for  the  exclusive 
purpose  of  a  burial  place  for  the  dead.  The  eighth 


348  OAK    EIDGE   CEMETERY. 

day  of  May,  a  meeting  was  held,  consisting  of  the 
managers,  a  committee  of  the  city  council  and  the 
clergymen  of  the  city,  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
ceremonies.  On  the  twenty-fourth,  a  procession  was 
formed  and  marched  to  the  cemetery,  where  the  exer- 
cises took  place.  They  consisted  of  singing,  prayer, 
instrumental  music,  an  oration  by  the  Hon.  J.  C. 
Conkling,  and  the  formal  dedication  by  the  Hon.  G. 
A.  Button,  mayor  of  the  city. 

Upon  the  recommendations  of  the  board  of  mana- 
gers, the  city  continued  to  make  additions  to  the 
grounds,  so  that  in  1865  the  cemetery  consisted  of 
seventy-six  and  a  half  acres.  Soon  after  the  remains 
of  President  Lincoln  were  deposited  in  the  public 
vault,  May  4,  1865,  the  city. donated  six  acres  of  land, 
or  so  much  of  it  as  might  be  thought  desirable  to  oc- 
cupy, to  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association, 
and  it  is  upon  this  ground  that  the  Association  has 
erected  the  monument.  By  referring  to  the  map,  the 
form  and  extent  of  the  grounds  may  be  distinguished 
by  the  dark  lines  a  short  distance  from  the  monument. 
It  is  well  to  remark  here  that,  although  the  cemetery 
contains  but  seventy-six  and  a  half  acres,  there  are  about 
ninety-seven  acres  included  in  the  boundaries  given  on 
the  map,  but  it  is  understood  that  the  additions  can  be 
made  whenever  it  is  thought  to  be  desirable. 

For  several  years  the  city  council  appropriated  one 
thousand  dollars  annually  to  be  used  in  improving  the 
grounds,  but  in  1866  the  revenue  from  the  sale  of  lots 
was  such  that  it  was  not  thought  to  be  necessary  to 
continue  the  appropriations.  In  order  to  create  a  per- 
manent fund  to  bring  in  revenue  sufficient  to  keep  up 
the  improvements,  the  board  of  managers  recommended 
and  the  city  council  set  apart  two  thousand  dollars, 
saved  from  the  sale  of  lots,  as  a  sinking  fund,  or  rather 
as  an  endowment  fund,  and  invested  it  in  bonds  bear- 
ing ten  per  cent,  interest.  In  1867,  another  thousand 
dollars  was  added,  and  additions  have  since  been  made, 


OAK    RIDGE   CEMETERY.  349 

so  that  the  cemetery  fund  now  amounts  to  about  four 
thousand  dollars. 

The  four  acre  plat  occupied  by  the  old  grave  yard, 
donated  by  Elijah  lies,  reverted  to  him  when  it  ceased 
to  be  used  as  a  place  of  burial.  Mr.  lies  then  deeded 
it  to  Springfield  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery.  The  land  is  to  be  divided  into  lots  and 
sold  in  the  year  1883,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sales 
kept  as  a  fund  forever,  the  interest  to  be  used  in  em- 
bellishing the  grounds  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery.  There 
is  a  proviso  in  the  deed  favorable  to  the  city  purchas- 
ing the  land  in  a  body  to  be  used  as  a  public  park,  if  it 
should  be  thought  desirable  to  do  so. 

With  a  view  to  extinguishing  Hutchinson  Cemetery, 
the  city,  in  1866,  commenced  giving  lots  in  Oak  Ridge 
in  exchange  for  lots  of  equal  size  in  Hutchinson  Ceme- 
tery, the  lot  owners  there  transferring  their  lots  by 
deed  and  receiving  deeds  in  Oak  Ridge  in  return.  In 
this  way  the  city  has  already  received  the  title  to  more 
than  half  of  Hutchinson  Cemetery,  and  the  time  is 
not  far  distant  when  it  will  receive  it  all,  and  then  it 
will  be  sold  and  added  to  the  endowment  fund  of  Oak 
Ridge.  The  land  in  these  two  old  cemeteries  amounts 
to  about  eight  acres,  and  both  are  near  the  new  State 
House,  where  land  is  rapidly  rising  in  value.  By  the 
time  they  are  to  be  sold,  they  will  bring  such  prices  as 
to  swell  the  endowment  fund  of  Oak  Ridge  to  such  an 
amount  that  the  grounds  can  be  ornamented  in  the 
very  highest  style  and  preserved  in  that  condition. 

The  Lincoln  Monument  grounds  being  a  part  of 
Oak  Ridg*e  Cemetery,  it  is  proper  to  state  in  this  place 
that,  in  September,  1871,  a  citizen  of  Bloomington  con- 
tributed $500,  to  be  used  in  grading  the  grounds  around 
the  monument.  Another  contribution  for  the  same  pur- 
pose was  made  under  the  following  circumstances : 

The  Illinois  State  Sanitary  Commission,  organized 
during  the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion, 
was  composed  of  John  P.  Reynolds,  President ;  Col. 


350  OAK   RIDGE   CEMETERY. 

John  Williams,  Treasurer  ;  Col.  Woods,  Robert  Irwin, 
Esq.,  E.  B.  Hawley,  Esq.,  and  Hon.  Wm.  Butler.  They 
were  all  citizens  of  Springfield  at  the  time,  but  Mr. 
Reynolds  has  removed  to  Chicago,  Col.  Woods  to 
Winchester,  and  Mr.  Irwin  is  deceased. 

In  addition  to  the  sanitary  work,  the  commission 
attended  to  the  collection  of  the  claims  of  soldiers 
against  the  government.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  the 
services  of  the  commission  being  no  longer  necessary 
:n  the  field,  it  turned  over  the  claim  business  in  its 
hands  to  Col.  Woods  and  Edward  J.  Eno,  now  of  St. 
Louis,  with  the  understanding  that  a  certain  per  cent, 
of  their  fees  should  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the 
commission.  By  this  arrangement  the  commission  was 
enabled  to  relieve  the  wants  of  many  widows  and  fam- 
ilies of  soldiers,  and  about  the  close  of  the  war,  it  do- 
nated $5000  to  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  at  Spring- 
field, before  the  State  commenced  providing  for  that 
class  of  sufferers. 

More  funds  accumulated,  which  remained  in  the 
treasury  until  January  1,  1872.  At  that  time  it 
amounted  to  $2459.83.  By  a  resolution  of  the  com- 
mission, the  whole  amount  was  placed  in  the  treasury 
of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  to  be 
expended  in  embellishing  the  grouuds.  The  resolu- 
tion contains  a  proviso  that  not  less  than  $500  were  to 
be  used  in  erecting  a  slab  or  shaft  on  the  monument 
grounds,  which  is  to  contain  the  names  of  the  Union 
soldiers  buried  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery.  This  leaves 
$1959.83  for  ornamenting  the  grounds.  This  work  is 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Samuel  Hood,  the 
warden  of  the  cemetery,  who  is  an  experienced  landscape 
gardener.  Mr.  Hood  became  sexton  or  warden  of  the 
cemetery  in  the  spring  of  1867.  His  books  show  the 
total  number  of  interments  from  the  beginning  of  the 
register,  in  1858,  to  the  first  of  January,  1872,  to  be 
2134,  removals  from  Hutchinson  Cemetery  319,  and 
removals  from  other  places  133,  making  a  total  of 


OAK   RIDGE   CEMETERY.  351 

2586.  The  remains  of  Governor  Ninian  Edwards,  the 
first  territorial  governor  of  Illinois,  were  removed  from 
Hutchinson  to  Oak  Ridge,  October  30,  1866.  Gover- 
nor William  H.  Bissell,  who  died  in  office  in  1860, 
was  buried  in  Hutchinson  Cemetery.  A  very  fine 
monument,  at  a  cost  of  $5000  to  the  State  of  Illinois, 
was  erected  to  his  memory  in  Oak  Ridge,  under  the 
supervision  of  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois  and  Hon.  O.  M. 
Hatch,  who  filled  the  offices  of  Secretary  and  Auditor 
of  State  while  he  was  Governor.  The  remains  of  the 
Governor  and  his  wife  were  removed  to  Oak  Ridge, 
with  imposing  demonstrations  and  an  oration  by  Gov- 
ernor Palmer,  May  30,  1871.  A  fine  marble  shaft 
stands  in  a  conspicuous  place  over  the  remains  of 
General  Isham  N.  Haynie,  who  died  while  he  was 
Adjutant  General  of  Illinois.  Twenty-one  other  Union 
soldiers  are  buried  in  different  parts  of  the  grounds. 

Oak  Ridge  Cemetery  is  situated  near  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  and  is  one  and  a  half 
miles  due  north  of  the  new  State  House.  A  deep  ra- 
vine runs  from  east  to  west  through  the  cemetery,  di- 
viding it  into  almost  equal  parts.  The  original  ceme- 
tery was  altogether  north  of  this  ravine,  and  for  that 
reason  the  oldest  and  best  improvements  are  in  that 
part  of  the  grounds.  The  entrance  to  the  original 
cemetery  is  at  the  east  side,  from  the  northern  exten- 
sion of  Third  street,  the  gate  being  just  north  of  the 
ravine.  By  consulting  the  map,  the  reader  will  ob- 
serve that  the  entrance  is  by  a  wide  avenue  that 
branches  off  in  various  directions  so  as  to  extend  over 
all  the  northern  part  of  the  cemetery.  The  map  also 
shows  that  the  south  entrance  is  nearer  the  city  than 
that  on  the  east.  Funerals,  and  parties  visiting  the 
cemetery  in  carriages,  usually  enter  at  the  south  gate, 
while  those  who  wish  to  visit  the  monument  and  other 
parts  of  the  cemetery  on  foot  go  out  Fifth  street  on  the 
City  railway,  to  the  railway  park,  which  is  seen  on  the 
east  side  of  the  map. 


352  OAK    RIDGE   CEMETERY. 

Going  due  west  from  the  east  gate,  you  are  soon  on 
the  south  side  of  the  ravine,  which  brings  you  to  the 
receiving  tomb,  where  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln were  placed  May  4,  1865.  It  is  a  solid  stone 
structure,  built  in  the  south  bank  and  faces  north. 
About  fifty  yards  southeast  of  this  vault,  and  about 
half  way  to  the  top  of  the  bluff,  stood  the  tomb  wrhich 
was  built  for  the  temporary  sepulture  of  the  remains 
of  the  President,  and  in  which  they  rested  from  De- 
cember 21,  1865,  until  September  1871,  when  they 
were  removed  into  the  monument.  After  their  last 
removal,  the  tomb  vacated  was  torn  down  and  the 
ground  where  it  stood  graded  down  about  fifteen  feet, 
as  previously  stated.  The  relative  position  of  the  re- 
ceiving vault,  the  temporary  tomb  and  the  monument 
is  all  shown  on  the  map.  Just  east  of  the  monument 
there  is  a  new  avenue,  beautifully  graded  and  grav- 
eled. Following  that  south  leads  to  the  south  gate, 
at  the  northern  extension  of  Second  street,  which,  at 
that  point,  is  called  Monument  avenue. 

For  a  cemetery  so  new,  and  for  a  city  of  such  lim- 
ited population,  the  improvements  are  unusually  good. 
The  grounds,  naturally  beautiful,  have  been  very  much 
improved  by  art,  and  are  susceptible  of  the  highest 
ornamentation.  The  great  attraction  that  will  draw 
visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world  for  all  coming 
time,  is  the  Mausoleum  containing  the  remains  of  the 
martyred  President. 


APPENDIX. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

The  preceding  part  of  this  book  closed  with  the 
dedication  of  the  Monument,  and  the  appointment  of 
a  Custodian  to  open  the  same  for  the  reception  of 
visitors. 

The  Infantry  and  Naval  groups  of  statuary  had  been 
modeled  at  Florence,  Italy,  the  models  transferred  to 
Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  and  the  work  of  casting  and 
finishing  was  satisfactorily  progressing,  by  the  Ames 
Manufacturing  Company. 

Assurances  were  given  by  prominent  gentlemen  in 
Boston  that  the  money  would  be  raised  in  that  city  to 
pay  for  the  Cavalry  group. 

Pennsylvania  being  the  largest  iron  producing  State 
in  the  Union,  and  Pittsburgh  the  city  where  the 
greatest  quantity  of  heavy  ordnance  was  manufactured 
to  be  used  in  suppressing  the  rebellion,  it  would  have 
been  a  fitting  recognition  of  this  fact  for  the  commer- 
cial metropolis  of  the  State  to  furnish  the  Artillery 
group.  When  the  proposition  was  made  by  Governor 
Oglesby.  that  this  should  be  done,  it  was  heartily 
acceded  to,  by  some  prominent  gentlemen  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

The  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association  having 
been  notified  that  the  Naval  group  of  statuary  had 
been  completed  and  was  ready  for  shipment  from 

23 


854  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  to  Springfield,  a  meeting  of 
the  Association  was  called  for  November  25,  1875. 
At  that  meeting,  upon  motion  of  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
it  was, 

Resolved,  That  the  whole  matter  in  relation  to  the  Naval  group, 
as  also  the  settlement,  with  Mr.  Mead  for  bronze  used,  is  hereby 
left  with  the  Treasurer  and  Secretary  of  this  Association,  under 
direction  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

Mr.  Dubois  laid  before  the  Association  a  photo- 
graphic copy  of  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Lincoln  to 
Mrs.  Eliza  P.  Gurney.  The  letter  was  ordered  to  be 
spread  upon  the  records.  The  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  written  gives  it  a  charm  that  it  would  not 
otherwise  possess.  Among  the  delegations  from 
religious  bodies  who  visited  President  Lincoln  early 
in  the  war  to  suppress  the  slaveholders'  rebellion,  a 
large  number  of  women  belonging  to  the  Society  of 
Friends  gave  him  a  call.  One  of  their  number,  the 
widow  of  Joseph  John  Gurney,  a  distinguished  Quaker 
preacher,  of  England,  though  herself  an  American, 
afterwards  wrote  him  a  letter.  His  reply  will  ever  be 
highly  prized,  because  it  contains  such  emphatic  and 
unequivocal  expressions  of  his  belief  in  the  over-ruling 
providence  of  God.  The  following  is  the  letter : 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 
WASHINGTON,  September  4,  1864. 
ELIZA  P.  GURNEY: 

My  Esteemed  Friend: — I  have  not.  forgotten — probably  never 
shall  forget — the  very  impressive  occasion  when  yourself  and 
friends  visited  me,  on  a  Sabbath  forenoon,  two  years  ago;  nor  has 
your  kind  letter,  written  nearly  a  year  later,  ever  been  forgotten. 
In  all,  it  has  been  your  purpose  to  strengthen  my  reliance  on  God. 
I  am  much  indebted  to  the  good  Christian  people  of  this  country,  for 
their  constant  prayers  and  consolations;  and  to  no  one  of  them  more 
than  to  yourself.  The  purposes  of  the  Almighty  are  perfect,  and 
must  prevail;  though  we  erring  mortals  may  fail  to  accurately  per- 
ceive them  in  advance.  We  hoped  for  a  happy  termination  of  this 
terrible  war  long  before  this;  but.  God  knows  best,  and  has  ruled 
otherwise.  We  shall  yet  acknowledge  His  wisdom  and  our  own 
error  therein.  Meanwhile  we  must  work  earnestly  in  the  best 
light  He  gives  us,  trusting  that  so  working  still  conduces  to  the 
great  ends  He  ordains.  Surely,  He  intends  some  great  good  to 
follow  this  mighty  convulsion,  which  no  mortal  could  make  and 
no  mortal  could  stay. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT.  355 

Your  people,  the  Friends,  have  had,  and  are  having  a  very  great 
trial.  On  principle  and  faith,  opposed  to  both  war  and  oppression, 
they  can  only  practically  oppose  oppression  by  war.  In  this  hard 
dilemma,  some  have  chosen  one  horn  and  some  the  other.  For 
those  appealing  to  me  on  conscientious  grounds,  I  have  done,  and 
shall  do,  the  best  I  could  and  can,  in  my  own  conscience,  under 
my  oath  to  the  law.  That  you  believe  this  I  doubt  not;  and 
believing  it,  I  shall  still  receive,  for  our  country  and  myself,  your 
earnest  prayers  to  our  Father  in  Heaven. 

Your  sincere  friend, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

The  Secretary  laid  before  the  Association  a  com- 
munication from  Mr.  J.  C.  Power,  the  Custodian  of  the 
Monument,  in  relation  to  the  purchase  of  the  surveying 
instruments  formerly  owned  and  used  by  Mr.  Lincoln, 
but  then  owned  by  a  Mr.  Bean,  of  Petersburg,  Illinois. 
This  led  to  the  purchase  of  them  for  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars, — the  Executive  Committee  paying 
seventy-five  dollars,  and  the  Custodian  one  hundred 
dollars  from  the  receipts  at  the  Monument.  The 
instruments  are  preserved  in  Memorial  Hall. 

I  find  the  following  letter  as  part  of  the  records  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  Association  for  this  meeting, 
transcribed  there,  "that  its  beautiful  sentiments  may 
be  preserved."  For  the  same  reason  I  insert  it  here : 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 
WASHINGTON,  November  '21,  1864. 

DEAR  MADAM  : — I  have  seen  in  the  files  of  the  War  Department, 
a  statement  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Massachusetts,  that  you  are 
t he  mother  of  five  sons,  who  died  gloriously  on  the  field  of  battle. 
I  feel  how  weak  and  fruitless  must  be  any  words  of  mine,  which 
should  attempt  to  beguile  you  of  the  grief  of  a  loss  so  overwhelm- 
ing. But  I  cannot,  refrain  from  tendering  you  the  consolation  that 
may  be  found  in  the  thanks  of  the  Republic  they  died  to  save.  I 
pray  that  our  Heavenly  Father  may  assuage  the  anguish  of  your 
bereavement,  and  leave  you  only  the  cherished  memory  of  the 
loved  and  lost,  and  the  solemn  pride  that  must  be  yours,  to  have 
laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  Freedom. 

Yours  very  sincerely  and  respectfully, 

A.  LINCOLN. 
To  MRS.  BIXBY,  Boston,  Mass. 

Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Vice-President  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, died  November  22,  1876,  and  at  a  meeting  of 


856  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

the  Association,  November  23,  1876,  Hon.  Shelby  M. 
Cullom,  Governor-elect  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  was 
chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

Judge  Charles  S.  Zane  was  chosen  in  place  of 
Thomas  J.  Dennis,  who  had  removed  to  Chicago,  thus 
vacating  his  seat  in  the  Association. 

Hon.  Milton  Hay  was  chosen  in  place  of  Dr.  S.  H. 
Melvin,  who  had  removed  to  California,  thus  vacating 
his  seat  in  the  Association.  The  two  latter  were 
chosen  November  23,  1876,  also. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 


357 


NAVAL  GEOUP. 

When  the  Naval  group  of  statuary  was  completed 
in  the  autumn  of  1875,  it  was  not  shipped  direct  to 
Springfield,  but  was  taken  to  Philadelphia  and  exhibit- 
ed at  the  Centennial  Exposition,  which  was  opened 
July  4,  1876.  At  the  close  of  the  Centennial  it  was 
shipped  to  Springfield,  arriving  in  the  spring  of  1877. 
The  Naval  group  represents  a  scene  on  the  deck  of  a 
river  gunboat  or  ship  of  war.  The  mortar  is  poised 
ready  for  action,  the  gunner  has  rolled  up  a  shell  ready 


358 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 


to  put  in  it;  the  boy,  called  in  nautical  phrase  the 
powder-monkey,  climbs  to  the  highest  point,  and  is 
peering  into  the  distance,  he  and  the  gunner  believing 
that  they  are  on  the  eve  of  a  battle,  but  the  officer  in 
command,  having  examined  the  situation  through  his 
telescope,  and  finding  that  there  is  no  preparation  for 
battle  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  dismisses  the  subject. 


INFANTRY   GROUP. 

The  Infantry  group  was  shipped  from  Chicopee, 
Massachusetts,  direct  to  Springfield,  arriving  in  the 
spring  of  1877,  also.  Both  groups  were  placed  in  posi- 
tion on  the  Monument  in  September,  1877.  The 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT.  859 

Infantry  group  represents  a  body  of  infantry  soldiers 
with  all  their  arms  and  baggage,  on  the  march,  not 
in  immediate  expectation  of  battle,  but  they  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  fired  upon  by  an  enemy  in 
ambush,  and  the  color-bearer  killed.  The  officer  in 
command  raises  the  flag  with  one  hand,  and  pointing 
to  the  enemy  with  the  other,  orders  a  charge.  The  pri- 
vate with  the  musket,  as  the  representative  of  the 
whole  line,  is  in  the  act  of  executing  the  charge.  The 
drummer  boy  has  become  excited,  lost  his  cap,  thrown 
away  his  haversack,  and  drawn  a  revolver  to  take  part 
in  the  conflict,  and  then  looks  as  though  he  was  not 
sure  whether  to  fight  or  get  behind  the  officer. 

From  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Woodworth,  Pres- 
ident of  the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company,  which  was 
placed  on  the  records  of  the  Monument  Association,  I 
learn  that  the  Coat  of  Arms  was  cast  in  1870,  the 
statue  of  Lincoln  in  1871  and  1872,  the  Naval  group 
in  1874  and  1875,  the  Infantry  group  in  1874  and  187 1), 
and  that  the  weights  of  the  different  pieces  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Coat  of  Arms,         -        -        -  .     -  284  pounds. 

Statue  of  Lincoln        ....  4,862       " 

Naval  Group,         ....  7,826       " 

Infantry  Group,          -  7,609       " 

I  also  learn  from  the  same  letter  that  the  Ames  Man- 
ufacturing Company  had  received  sixty-five  old  bronze 
cannon,  donated  by  the  United  States  Government  to 
the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association. 

Weight  of  guns,     -  49,974  pounds. 

Amount  used  in  the  statuary,    -         -      9,261       " 


Balance  on  hand,  Nov.  7,  1876,      -        40,713       " 

The  efforts  in  Boston  and  Philadelphia  to  raise 
money  to  pay  for  the  Cavalry  and  Artillery  groups, 
proved  to  be  a  total  failure,  principally  for  want  of 
some  influential  citizen  to  lead  off  in  each  city,  as 
Governor  Morgan  had  done 'in  New  York.  In  order  to 
supply  that  deficiency,  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  made 
an  appropriation  of  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars  for 


360  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

the  purpose,  which  became  a  law  in  May,  1877.  May 
17,  1877,  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  at  a 
special  meeting : 

Resolved,  That  this  Association  hereby  request  and  direct 
Larkin  G.  Me:id,  Esq.,  to  proceed  without  delay,  to  prepare  and 
construct  the  Artillery  group,  as  contemplated  and  specified  in  the 
contract  with  this  Association,  and  draw  upon  them  for  one-third 
of  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars,  payable  on  or  before 
the  tenth  day  of  July  next. 

Resolved,  That  the  Executive  Committee  be  and  they  are  hereby 
instructed  to  make  and  transmit  to  Mr.  Mead  an  order  for  the 
Cavalry  group,  at  such  time  as  they  in  their  discretion  may  dic- 
tate. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Association  December  11,  1878, 
Jacob  Bunn  tendered  his  resignation  as  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee,  and  the  Hon.  J.  C.  Conkling 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

At  the  same  meeting  Governor  Shelby  M.  Cullom  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  Association. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Mead,  dated  Florence,  Italy,  March 
4,  1879,  and  directed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Associa- 
tion, conveys  the  intelligence  that  the  models  in  plaster 
for  the  Artillery  group  were  completed  and  ready  for 
shipment. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Association,  September  12, 1879, 
it  was 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  request  and  direct  Larkin  G.  Mead  to 
proceed  without  delay  to  prepare  the  model  and  cause  the  construc- 
tion of  the  fourth  or  Cavalry  group  for  the  Monument,  as  specified 
and  contemplated  in  his  contract  with  the  Association,  and  that  he 
is  hereby  authorized  to  draw  upon  the  Treasurer  for  the  sum  of 
four  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and  sixty-six 
cents. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  is  hereby  directed  to  transmit  to 
Mr.  Mead  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolution. 

The  following  is  the  formal  order  of  the  Executive 
Committee : 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  September  12,  1879. 
Larkin   0.  Mead,  Esq.,  Florence,  Italy: 

SIR: — We  enclose  you  herewith  a  copy  of  a  resolution,  this  day 
passed  by  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT.  361 

In  obedience  to  that  resolution,  and  in  compliance  with  the  con- 
tract between  the  Association  and  yourself,  referred  to  in  said 
resolution,  we,  the  Executive  Committee,  give  you  hereby  the  formal 
order  to  proceed  and  complete,  as  soon  as  practicable,  the  fourth  or 
Cavalry  group. 

You  are  hereby  authorized,  in  pursuance  of  said  contract,  to  draw 
upon  the  Association  for  four  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-six 
dollars  and  sixty-six  cents,  the  first  payment  for  said  group. 

JOHN  T.  STUART,  ^  t 

JAMES  C.  CONKLINO,       V   Executive  Committee. 
JOHN  WILLIAMS,  J 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association,  November  16, 1880,  the  death  of  two 
of  the  members  of  the  Association  was  announced, 
namely : 

Orlin  H.  Miner,  died  May  27,  1880. 

David  L.  Phillips,  died  June  19,  1880.  • 

Their  vacancies  have  not  been  filled. 

The  Association  having  been  notified  that  the  models 
for  the  Artillery  and  Cavalry  groups  of  statuary  had 
been  shipped  from  Florence,  Italy,  and  arrived  at 
Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  in  October,  1880,  and  that  Mr. 
Mead  had  drawn  on  the  Association  for  the  second 
payment  on  each,  which,  according  to  the  contract,  was 
four  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and 
sixty-six  cents  each,  therefore  a  formal  order  was 
passed  that  the  two  several  drafts  be  paid. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association,  Debember  19,  1881,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
on  the  part  of  the  Executive  Committee,  made  a  report 
including  various  subjects.  From  that  report  I  make 
some  extracts  concerning  the  Monument  grounds. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  original  grant  of  land 
in  1865,  from  the  city  of  Springfield,  to  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  Association,  was  about  six  acres. 
In  October,  1877,  the  Executive  Committee  applied  to 
the  city  council  for  a  modification  of  the  south  line  of 
the  Monument  grounds,  to  make  it  conform  to  the  lay 
of  the  land,  but  they  did  not  ask  for  anything  addi- 
tional. In  response  to  this  request,  and  after  having 


362  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

a  committee  examine  the  land  and  make  a  report 
thereon,  October  27,  1877,  the  city  council  acceded  to 
the  request  to  change  the  line,  by  adding  about  one 
and  one-third  acres  on  the  south  of  the  Monument 
grounds,  making  a  total  of  about  seven  and  one  third 
acres,  for  which  a  deed  of  conveyance  was  made,  by 
the  proper  authorities  of  the  city,  to  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  Association. 

Thfe  Citizens'  Street  Eailway  Company  having  pur- 
chased eight  acres  of  land  immediately  west  of  the 
Monument,  and  built  a  railway  to  land  passengers 
within  less  than  one  hundred  yards  of  the  same,  there 
was  danger  that  some  of  the  land  belonging  to  said 
railway  company  might  be  so  used  as  to  be  objection- 
able to  visitors  at  the  Monument.  In  order  to  avert 
this  danger,  the'  Executive  Committee  applied  to  the 
Boar,d  of  Directors  of  the  Citizens'  Street  Eailway 
Company  and  received  a  title  deed,  September  1, 1880, 
to  one  acre  or  more  of  said  land,  for  a  nominal  sum, 
making  it  practically  a  donation.  So  that  now  the 
Monument  Association  has  the  title  to  between  eight 
and  nine  acres  of  land. 

Information  was  before  the  meeting  of  December 
19th  that  the  Artillery  group  of  statuary  had  been  com- 
pleted and  was  subject  to  the  orders  of  the  Association. 
The  Secretary  was  directed  to  notify  Mr.  Mead  or  his 
agent,  Mr.  A.  D.  Shepherd,  to  have  the  group  for- 
warded to  Springfield.  It  was  shipped  at  Chicopee, 
February  4,  1882. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 


363 


ARTILLERY  GROUP. 

A  meeting  of  the  Association  was  held  February  24, 
1882.  The  Artillery  group  having  arrived  the  day 
before,  the  draft  of  Mr.  Mead  for  four  thousand  five 
hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and  sixty-six  cents,  being 
the  last  payment  on  that  group,  was  ordered  to  be  paid. 
The  Executive  Committee  was  authorized  to  put  the 
group  in  position  without  delay.  It  was  accomplished 
April  13,  1882.  The  Artillery  group  represents  a  sec- 
tion of  artillery  in  battle.  The  enemy  has  succeeded 


864  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

in  directing  a  shot  so  well  as  to  dismount  the  gun.  The 
officer  in  command  escapes  unhurt,  mounts  the  wreck 
of  his  gun  and  carriage,  and  with  drawn  sword  is 
looking  defiance  at  the  approaching  enemy,  probably 
a  cavalry  or  infantry  charge.  The  youthful  soldier 
in  front  seems  oblivious  to  danger  from  an  approach- 
ing charge,  but  is  horrified  at  the  havoc  beneath  and 
around  him.  It  is  probably  his  first  battle,  and  the 
flying  pieces  from  the  gun  carriage  may  have  killed 
and  wounded  half  a  dozen  of  his  comrades,  which 
could  not  be  made  to  appear  on  the  small  platform 
allotted  to  the  group.  This  would  be  a  sufficient  cause 
for  him  to  feel  as  his  looks  would  indicate. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 


365 


CAVALRY  GROUP. 

The  model  for  the  Cavalry  group  was  shipped  with 
that  of  the  Artillery,  from  Florence,  Italy,  and  arrived 
at  Chicopee  in  October,  1880.  The  casting  and  finish- 
ing is  well  under  way,  and  will  be  placed  on  the  mon- 
ument early  in  1883.  The  Cavalry  group  consists  of 
two  human  figures  and  a  horse,  and  represents  a  battle 
scene.  The  horse,  from  whose  back  the  rider  has  just 


366 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 


fallen,  is  frantically  rearing.  The  wounded  and  dying 
trumpeter,  supported  by  a  comrade,  involuntarily 
assumes  a  prayerful  and  tragic  attitude.  The  Artillery 
and  Cavalry  groups  seem  to  represent  defeat;  but 
they  are  truthful,  because  it  was  through  many  such 
scenes  that  the  Union  cause  became  victorious. 

The  following  column  on  the  left  contains  the  names 
of  the  original  members  of  the  National  Lincoln  Mon- 
ument Association.  That  on  the  right  the  present 
members.  Names  of  deceased  members  are  marked 
with  a  star.  Names  of  those  chosen  to  fill  the  vacan- 
cies are  in  the  column  on  the  right  opposite  the 
names  of  the  deceased  ones,  and  of  those  who  have 
vacated  their  seats  by  removal.  Two  vacancies  are 
unfilled : 


Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  President. 

*Hon.  J.  K.  Cubqis,  Vice-Pres't. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Beveridge.  Treasurer. 

Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch.  Secretary. 

Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,   ) 

Col.  John  Williams,     \Ex.  Com. 

Jacob  Bunn,  ) 

Hon.  J.  C.  Conkling, 

Judge  S.  H.  Treat. 

*Hon.  Sharon  Tyndale. 

Hon.  Newton  Bateman. 

*Hon.  O.  H.  Miner. 

*Hon.  D.  L.  Phillips. 

T.  J.  Dennis. 

Dr.  S.  H.  Melvin. 


>Ex.  Com. 


Ex-Gov.  B.  J.  Oglesby,  Pre.s't. 
Gov.  S.  M.  Cullom,  Vice-Pres't. 
Hon.  J.  H.  Beveridge,  Treasurer. 
Hon.  O.  M.  Hatch,  Secretary. 
Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,   ' 
Col.  John  Williams, 
Hon.  J.  C.  Conkling, 
Jacob  Bunn. 
Judge  S.  H.  Treat. 
Ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer. 
Hon.  Newton  Bateman. 


Judge  C.  S.  Zane. 
Hon.  Milton  Hay. 


The  above  was  the  status  of  the  membership  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association  when  this 
edition  was  put  in  press  in  June,  1882. 


In  the  autumn  of  1876,  P.  D.  Tyrrell,  the  chief  opera- 
tive of  the  United  States  Secret  Service  for  the  district 
in  which  Chicago  is  situated,  had  his  suspicions  aroused 
that  a  certain  drinking  saloon  in  that  city  was  a  rendez- 
vous for  counterfeiters.  He  could  not  learn  anything  by 
going  there  himself,  because  some  of  the  men  whose 
presence  excited  his  suspicions  knew  him  personally, 
and  for  him  to  appear  would  only  put  them  on  the 
alert.  In  order  to  obtain  the  desired  information,  he 
employed  a  young  man  unknown  to  those  parties,  and 
instructed  him  in  the  manner  he  should  proceed  to 
gain  their  confidence.  He  was  first  to  convince  them 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT.  367 

that  he  was  the  same  kind  of  man  they  were,  which  he 
did,  by  gradual  approaches,  so  thoroughly  that  they 
revealed  to  him  the  fact  that  they  were  not  only 
engaged  in  putting  counterfeit  money  in  circulation, 
but  were  then  preparing  for  a  speculation  on  a  much 
larger  scale.  They  told  him  that  they  expected  to 
steal  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln  from  the  monu- 
ment in  Springfield,  bury  them  in  some  secure  place, 
and  then  disperse,  probably  leave  the  United  States, 
and  watch  the  accounts  in  the  newspapers  for  a  favor- 
able time  to  enter  into  negotiations  for  the  return  of 
the  body.  They  expressed  the  utmost  confidence  that 
they  could  in  that  way  obtain  at  least  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  the  release  of  a  celebrated  coun- 
terfeit engraver  who  is  serving  a  ten  years'  sentence  in 
the  Joliet  penitentiary  for  engraving  and  printing 
counterfeit  money.  Wishing  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  remarkable  shrewdness  of  the  young  man,  whose 
acquaintance  they  thus  were  forming,  they  proposed 
that  if  he  would  join  them  and*  assist,  he  might  have  a 
share  in  the  profits. 

As  he  had  only  started  out  to  obtain  information 
about  their  counterfeiting  operations,  this  discovery 
was  quite  startling  to  him.  He  made  some  pretext  for 
time  to  consider,  and  at  the  earliest  opportunity 
reported  to  the  officer  who  employed  him,  and  asked 
for  instructions.  The  officer  then  authorized  and 
instructed  him  to  accede  to  their  proposition,  join  them 
and  keep  with  them  in  every  movement  and  report  to 
him  daily  or  more  frequent,  as  circumstances  seemed 
to  indicate.  The  young  man  did  not  lose  any  time  in 
letting  the  conspirators  know  that  he  would  take  part 
with  them.  After  that  he  was  at  every  meeting  of  the 
gang,  numbering  several  others  besides  the  two  whose 
confidence  he  first  gained.  It  was  at  length  decided 
that  the  stealing  should  be  done  Tuesday  night, 
November  7, 1876,  the  night  after  the  day  on  which 
the  Presidential  election  was  to  be  held.  That  time 
was  chosen  for  the  reason  that  if  they  were  seen  out 
unusually  late,  each  party  would  be  likely  to  conclude 
that  the  other  was  in  search  of  election  news,  and  in 
that  way  they  hoped  to  disarm  suspicion. 


368  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

The  two  conspirators  and  the  young  man  who  had 
been  sent  to  ferret  out  their  counterfeiting  operations, 
by  which  he  was  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  plot,  started 
from  Chicago  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  Novem- 
ber sixth,  by  the  Chicago,  Alton  and  Saint  Louis  rail- 
road. The  operative  of  the  Secret  Service  was  kept 
fully  posted,  and  with  two  assistants  boarded  the  rear 
sleeping  car  of  the  same  train  as  it  moved  out  of  the 
depot.  All  parties  arrived  in  Springfield  at  six  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  November  seventh,  the  train  being 
two  hours  behind  time.  The  day  was  spent  by  the 
conspirators  in  perfecting  their  plans,  and  by  the 
operative  of  the  Secret  Service  and  his  assistants  in 
watching  the  conspirators  and  perfecting  their  plans 
also.  Meanwhile,  balloting  for  President  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  going  on  over  the 
entire  Nation.  At  five  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  train 
brought  two  other  assistant  detectives  from  Chicago, 
one  of  them  an  ex- Chief  of  the  United  States  Secret 
Service  for  the  whole  Nation.  There  was  not  a  ray 
of  sunshine  reached  the  earth  in  Central  Illinois  that 
day,  and  in  consequence  of  the  thick  clouds,  night 
came  on  early.  About  six  o'clock  the  operative  of  the 
Secret  Service,  with  four  trained  detectives,  including 
the  ex-Chief,  also  a  reporter  for  a  Chicago  paper, 
approached  the  Monument,  two  miles  north  of  the  city. 
They  were  admitted  to  Memorial  Hall  at  the  south 
end,  by  the  writer  as  Custodian  of  the  Monument. 
The  outer  door  was  then  locked  and  the  entire  party 
conducted  through  the  back  door  to  a  point  where 
lights  could  not  be  seen  from  the  outside.  There 
lamps  were  lighted  and  one  man  placed  inside  against 
the  solid  wall,  opposite  the  sarcophagus  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Monument.  He  was  instructed  to  remain 
in  that  position  until  he  heard  sounds  as  if  work  was 
being  done  on  the  sarcophagus.  In  that  event  he  was 
to  find  his  way  back  to  Memorial  Hall — lighted  lamps 
having  been  placed  as  guides — and  report  to  the 
officers.  The  five  officers  and  the  writer  kept  their 
positions,  in  darkness  that  could  almost  be  felt,  from 
two  and  a  half  to  three  hours,  when  footsteps  were 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT.  369 

heard  approaching  the  outer  door,  which  is  closed  by 
two  shutters,  one  of  wood  and  glass,  the  other  of  iron 
rods.  Two  men  appeared,  one  bearing  a  lighted  bull's 
eye  or  dark  lantern.  They  soon  found  that  both  doors 
were  locked,  and  seemed  satisfied  that  there  was  not 
any  person  about  the  Monument.  They  then  went 
around  to  the  north  end,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
distant,  and  by  sawing  and  filing,  broke  the  padlock  to 
the  grated  door  at  the  entrance  to  the  Catacomb,  and 
commenced  taking  the  marble  sarcophagus  to 
pieces.  The  man  who  was  placed  inside  to  listen, 
passed  through  among  the  labyrinth  of  walls  to 
Memorial  Hall,  and  reported  that  he  could  hear  the 
conspirators  at  work  on  the  sarcophagus.  For  several 
minutes  hurried'  and  excited  whisperings  were  going 
on  between  the  five  officers  in  the  Hall.  The  writer 
was  greatly  puzzled  to  know  why  they  did  not  go  out 
and  move  upon  the  enemy  at  once.  It  subsequently 
transpired  that  the  officers  never  expected  to  go  out  on 
the  report  of  the  one  who  was  listening  inside.  Placing 
him  there  was  merely  an  extra  precaution  that  they 
might  know  when  the  work  commenced.  The  young 
man  who  had  discovered  the  plot  in  Chicago,  was  with 
the  conspirators,  under  instruction  from  the  operative 
of  the  Secret  Service  who  was  in  the  Hall,  that  he 
was  to  remain  with  the  conspirators  until  the  door  was 
forced  and  they  began  to  work  on  the  sarcophagus. 
Then  he  was  to  go  around  outside  and  give  a  signal  at 
the  entrance  to  Memorial  Hall.  The  officers  expected 
then  to  leave  the  Hall,  move  quickly  around  to  the 
Catacomb  and  capture  the  miscreants  at  their  work. 

It  was  afterwards  learned  that  when  the  lock  was 
forced,  and  before  they  commenced  work  on  the  Sar- 
cophagus, the  conspirators  pushed  the  young  man  into 
one  corner  of  the  half-circular  Catacomb  and  gave  him 
the  lantern  to  hold.  He  at  once  recognized  the  move- 
ment to  mean  that  they  would  shoot  him  dead,  should 
he  attempt  to  dispose  of  the  light  and  pass  out  of  the 
door.  Therefore,  he  could  do  no  less  than  to  hold  it 
until  they  had  taken  the  marble  sarcophagus  apart 
and  drawn  the  wooden  and  lead  coffin,  with  the  body 
24 


370  LINCOLN  AND  THE  MONUMENT. 

partly  out,  that  they  might  conveniently  take  it  up  and 
carry  it  away.  The  conspirators  then  stepped  outside 
and  started  the  young  man  off  for  a  horse  and  wagon 
to  haul  the  body  away,  they  agreeing  to  remain  at  the 
door  until  his  return.  He  had  not  secured  a  team,  but 
made  them  believe  he  had  one  at  the  east  gate.  He 
started  in  that  direction,  as  though  he  was  going  for 
the  team,  but  the  night  was  cloudy  and  exceedingly 
dark,  and  as  soon  as  he  passed  from  their  sight  he 
turned  to  the  right,  ran  to  the  door  of  Memorial  Hall 
and  gave  the  signal  agreed  upon.  The  officers  went 
quickly  around,  expecting  to  capture  the  conspirators, 
but  they  had  escaped.  They  were  too  shrewd  to  re- 
main at  the  door  of  the  Catacomb,  lest  others  might  be 
looking  for  them,  and  so  withdrew  about  thirty-five 
yards  from  the  Monument,  and  lay  down  by  a  small 
oak  tree,  from  which  they  saw  the  officers  enter  the 
Catacomb,  and  heard  their  exclamations  of  disappoint- 
ment. They  afterwards  told  the  young  man  that 
they  then  thought  it  would  be  more  prudent  for 
them  to  make  their  escape.  For  ten  days  the 
conspirators  could  not  be  found.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  the  young  man  having  retained  their 
confidence,  informed  the  officers  that  the  two  were 
together  at  the  same  drinking  place  where  he  entered 
into  the  scheme  with  them.  The  officers  entered 
the  saloon,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  until  they  were  in  suf- 
ficient force  to  overpower  and  handcuff  them  in  a  few 
seconds.  They  were  brought  to  Springfield,  tried  and 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  one  year.  Only  one  year, 
because  there  was  no  law  in  Illinois  that  made  it  a 
penitentiary  offense  to  steal  a  dead  body.  A  law  was 
enacted  and  approved  May  21,  1879,  which  came  in 
force  July  first  of  the  same  year,  under  which  a  party 
convicted  of  the  crime  is  subject  to  a  penalty  of  not 
less  than  one  nor  more  than  ten  years  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. 

I  have  thus  given  a  bare  recital  of  the  main  points 
in  a  case  that  created  the   greatest  excitement  and 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  371 

indignation  at  the  time.  A  full  account  of  the  event 
and  all  the  incidents  preceding,  and  that  have  grown 
from  it,  would  read  like  a  romance  from  the  dark  ages. 
It  will,  probably,  be  written  and  published  separately 
at  some  future  time. 


There  are  persons  who  oppose  the  policy  of  requir- 
ing a  small  fee  from  each  visitor  on  their  first  entrance 
to  the  Monument.  The  city  of  London  or  the  English 
government  might  defray  the  expense  of  showing  vis- 
itors through  the  Tower  of  London,  but  every  one  has 
to  pay.  The  Brock  monument  at  Queenston,  Canada, 
can  be  entered  only  on  the  payment  of  a  shilling.  The 
Washington  monument,  at  Baltimore,  was  built  by  the 
State  of  Maryland,  but  each  visitor  pays.  The  Bunker 
Hill  monument  might  be  made  free  by  the  State  of 
Messachusetts  or  city  of  Boston,  but  all  visitors  pay. 
The  tomb  of  Washington  can  only  be  reached  by  the 
payment  of  one  dollar  to  a  steamboat,  and  it  cannot 
land  at  the  wharf  except  under  a  contract  to  pay  twenty- 
five  cents  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Ladies'  Association  for 
each  visitor.  Many  of  us  cannot  visit  the  Tower  of 
London,  nor  Bunker  Hill,  nor  Mount  Vernon,  not 
because  of  the  admittance  fee,  but  the  expense  of  time 
and  travel.  Eequiring  a  fee  is  the  best  possible  police 
regulation.  Those  who  pay  seldom  violate  rules.  It 
is  those  who  do  not  pay  that  trespass  most  upon 
forbidden  ground.  The  State  of  Illinois  has  appropri- 
ated in  all  $82,000  to  the  Lincoln  Monument.  Let 
her  continue  to  keep  it  in  repair,  and  ornament  the 
grounds.  For  each  one  of  her  citizens  who  visit  it 
annually,  five  hundred  and  ninety-nine  stay  at  home. 
It  would  not  be  just  to  require  those  who  stay  at  home 
to  pay  the  expense  of  the  one  who  travels.  If  so,  why 
not  include  his  hotel  bills  and  railroad  fare  ?  If  the 
Custodian  cannot  interest  the  people  so  as  to  collect 
sufficient  funds  to  defray  the  expense,  he  is  not  the 
man  for  the  place.  If  the  people  are  not  sufficiently 
interested  to  contribute,  it  should  be  taken  as  evidence 
that  it  was  time  to  close  its  doors. 


372  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


When  Eobert  Burns  wrote : 

"Oh,  wnd  some  power  the  gifiie  gie  us 
To  see  oursel's  as  ithers  see  us;" 

he  expressed  in  his  quaint  way  what  every  person  feels 
who  desires  to  improve  mentally  and  morally.  There 
are,  unfortunately,  many  shams  in  the  world ;  persons 
who  do  not  wish  to  improve,  but  to  appear  better  or 
more  wise  or'more  learned  than  they  are.  They  aim 
to  deceive,  but  as  a  rule  deceive  themselves  more  than 
all  others.  The  most  effectual  cure  for  such  persons 
is  ridicule,  but  should  they  bring  upon  themselves 
open  and  pointed  rebuke,  they  are  little  deserving  of 
sympathy.  But  the  shams  in  society  may  be  likened 
to  the  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  all  must  grow  until 
the  great  harvest.  It  is  refreshing  to  know  that  there 
is  pure  wheat,  that  the  highest  style  of  Christian  ladies 
and  gentlemen  are  not  at  all  rare.  In  this  chapter  I 
shall  treat  of  all  sorts,  as  part  of  my  experience  here. 
Mark  Twain,  in  his  inimitable  book,  "The  Innocents 
Abroad,"  has  made  the  guides,  conductors  and  custo- 
dians of  places  where  pilgrimages  are  made  in  Europe, 
the  laughing  stock  of  the  English  speaking  people  all 
over  the  world.  If  .the  guides  and  custodians  could  be 
heard,  they  would  doubtless  turn  the  tables,  and  give 
us  such  a  record  of  the  doings  of  Americans  traveling 
in  Europe,  on  suddenly  acquired  wealth,  as  would 
make  us  ashamed  of  our  countrymen  and  country- 
women. To  a  limited  extent  the  position  of  Custodian 
here  is  one  of  the  very  best  for  studying  human  nature, 
therefore,  I  propose,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  to 
relate  the  story  of  the  guides. 


LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT.  373 

My  conflicts  here  to  maintain  my  rights  and  self- 
respect  have  not  been  with  the  every  day  common  peo- 
ple, nor  with  those  who  are  denominated  roughs,  but  it 
has  been  with  those  who  by  the  advantages  of  school- 
ing,— I  will  not  say  education,  for  it  is  possible  to  be 
very  extensively  schooled,  and  not  educated, — :and 
wealth,  ought  to  be  more  scrupulous  in  respecting  the 
rights  of  others  not  so  highly  favored.  But  there  is  so 
much  of  the  first  Adam  in  us  all  that  men  and  women, 
even  professing  Christians,  take  advantage  of  those  very 
favors  to  tyrannize  over  others.  The  fact  that  a  man 
or  woman  is  a  professing  Christian  should  be  conclu- 
sive evidence  that  he  or  she  is  a  gentleman  or  a  lady, 
but  my  experience  here  is  that  the  profession  is  of 
itself  very  slender  evidence.  The  actions  of  some  I 
have  encountered  here  fully  explain  to  my  mind  why 
we  so  frequently  hear  of  the  coarse  vulgarity  of  Amer- 
icans traveling  abroad. 

I  regard  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  as  the 
grandest  school  of  patriotism  on  the  continent,  or  in 
the  world,  and  worth  an  hundred-fold  more  than  all  it 
costs,  to  the  American  people.  It  has  been  a  great 
source  of  pleasure  to  me  to  impart  its  lessons  to  all 
men  and  women,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  who 
visit  it  from  patriotic  motives.  But  for  those  of  either 
sex  who,  by  their  words  or  actions  forfeit  all  claim  to 
respect,  I  have  no  mercy,  and  the  more  intense  the  dis- 
like of  such  shams  for  me,  the  more  I  feel  honored. 

When  I  took  charge  of  the  Monument,  a  set  of  rules 
and  regulations  were  prepared  by  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, and,  a  printed  copy  placed  at  each  of  the  three 
entrances,  that  all  might  take  notice  thereof  and 
govern  themselves  accordingly.  The  main  points  in  the 
rules  are,  that  I  am  to  show  all  parts  of  the  Monu- 
ment, and  give  all  the  information  about  it  to  such 
visitors  as  desire  it,  and  in  order  to  defray  the  expense 
I  am  to  collect  from  each  visitor  who  goes  inside,  the 
sum  of  twenty-five  cents.  The  first  thing  that  sur- 
prised 'me  was  the  great  number  of  persons  who  would 
go  around  with  me  and  seem  charmed  with  my  outside 


374  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

descriptions,  and  when  it  came  to  paying  the  small  fee 
would  suddenly  find  themselves  so  limited  for  time 
that  they  could  not  go  any  further. 


I  call  to  mind  an  incident  of  this  kind.  A  woman 
who  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  society  and  mis- 
sionary meetings,  and  whose  husband  is  reputed  to  be 
worth  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  rode  up 
in  her  carriage  with  a  lady  friend,  both  richly  dressed. 
They  followed  me  as  I  showed  another  party  around 
on  the  Terrace  and  into  the  Catacomb,  asking  more 
questions  than  all  the  others.  When  we  came  to 
Memorial  Hall,  pausing  at  the  entrance  to  collect  the 
small  fee,  they  suddenly  became  too  limited  for  time 
to  go  inside  and  at  once  started  for  their  carriage. 
The  weather  was  warm  and  I  used  only  a  grated  door 
with  a  screen  before  it.  When  I  reached  the  back 
part  of  the  Hall',  several  minutes  later,  the  door 
became  darkened  and  I  stepped  quickly  around  the 
screen  to  drive  away  what  I  supposed  was  a  lot  of  boys 
filling  the.  space,  and  behold  my  two  nice  ladies  who 
were  so  limited  for  time,  had  returned,  each  with  an 
ear  close  to  the  grating,  in  a  listening  attitude  ! 

A  merchant  came  with  two  ladies.  Knowing  that 
he  understood  the  rules  with  reference  to  paying,  I 
readily  admitted  them.  After  giving  a  moment's 
attention  to  visitors  who  had  previously  entered,  I 
returned  to  him,  and  said :  "I  suppose  you  under- 
stand the  rule  requiring  a  small  contribution  from 
each  visitor  who  enters  here  ?"  Springing  up  on  his 
toes,  assuming  an  air  of  defiance,  and  with  a  most 
contemptuous  manner,  be  said:  "If  I  choose  to." 
Putting  my  face  almost  touching  his,  I  replied,  "Sir, 
if  you  do  not  choose  to  comply  with  the  rules  when  you 
come  here,  get  out  of  that  door  as  quick  as  you  can, 
and  never  enter  it  again  while  I  am  here."  He  went 
out  on  the  double  quick  and  never  has  entered  it  since. 


I  prepared  a  descriptive  pamphlet  of  the  Monument 
to  sell  for  twenty-five  cents.  So  many  objected  to  pay- 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  375 

ing  a  fee,  that  I  conceived  the  brilliant  idea  of  pleasing 
everybody  by  taking  one  fee,  conducting  them  through 
and  giving  a  pamphlet  to  each  one,  thus  giving  double 
the  value  for  their  money.  I  was  soon  informed  that 
a  newspaper  man  was  going  to  annihilate  me  because 
I  compelled  each  visitor  to  buy  a  book  as  a  condition 
of  admittance  to  the  Monument.  In  order  to  make 
his  article  unanswerable  he  went  to  a  member  of  the 
Monument  Association  for  some  strong  points,  when 
he  found  I  had  authority  for  collecting  all  the  money  I 
did  without  giving  the  pamphlet.  The  article  never 
appeared,  but  whenever  the  writer  of  it  comes  in  con- 
tact with  me,  I  always  think  I  can  see  his  hair  turning 
the  wrong  way,  but  perhaps  as  to  the  latter  part  my 
imagination  is  somewhat  vivid. 

There  were  those  who  claimed  to  be  of  so  much  dis- 
tinction as  to  ignore  me,  and  if  they  could  gain  admit- 
tance, would  undertake  to  do  the  talking  themselves. 
One  woman  high  in  church,  society,  and  official  circles, 
of  fine  presence  and  always  richly  dressed,  .practiced 
this  upon  me  two  or  three  times.  I  saw  her  approach- 
ing one  day  accompanied  by  two  distinguished  divines. 
She  signified  her  desire  to  enter  Memorial  Hall,  did 
not  make  the  slightest  pretense  of  introducing  or 
placing  her  friends  in  my  care,  but  the  moment  she 
entered  the  Hall  began  to  talk  about  the  objects  of 
interest,  not  so  much  to  give  information  concerning 
them  as  to  say  in  each  alternate  sentence  something 
of  what  she  had  seen  in  Europe.  I  walked  up  by  the 
side  of  the  visitors,  quietly  saying  that  I  was  the  Cus- 
todian, and  as  she  commenced  a  description,  I  began 
talking  about  the  same  article,  and  thoroughly  under- 
standing the  subject  as  it  is  my  duty  to  do,  I  talked  so 
much  faster  and  more  to  the  purpose  than  she  could, 
caused  her  to  turn  abruptly  to  another  article.  I  fol- 
lowed as  quickly  and  soon  drowned  her  voice,  being 
very  careful  to  preserve  a  gentlemanly  demeanor. 
She  soon  abandoned  the  contest,  and  ever  after 
left  me  to  entertain  her  friends  in  my  own  way. 
I  am  not  under  the  necessity  of  drawing  on  my  imagin- 


376  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

ation,  but  these  are  actual  occurrences,  and  many 
more  similar  to  them  might  be  given.  I  choose  only 
such  as  have  the  wealth  to  travel  in  Europe  and  make 
the  name  American  a  by-word. 


Of  all  the  classes  of  people  who  visit  the  Monument, 
there  are  none  who  afford  me  more  pleasure,  by  their 
outspoken  loyalty  to  the  principles  for  which  Lincoln 
died,  and  sympathetic  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to 
his  life  and  death,  than  the  Methodists,  both  lay  and 
clerical.  In  the  autumn  of  1875,  the  annual  meeting 
of  Illinois  Conference  was  held  in  Springfield.  Before 
the  business  of  the  conference  commenced  many  of 
the  delegates  visited  the  Monument,  and,  of  course, 
spoke  of  it  to  those  still  arriving.  That  was  previous 
to  the  attempt  to  rob  the  tomb.  On  the  second  or 
third  day  a  company  of  about  twenty  came  and 
expressed  a  desire  to  obtain  all  the  information  they 
could.  I  took  them  to  the  Catacomb  and  explained 
the  situation  there,  showed  where  the  bodies  of  the 
children  lay,  and  the  location  of  the  crypts  prepared 
for  the  living  members  of  the  family.  I  then  con- 
ducted them  to  the  Terrace  and  explained  that  the 
names  of  the  States  were  so  arranged  as  to  represent 
a  bond  of  union,  took  them  to  the  best  point  from 
which  to  view  the  statue  of  Lincoln,  then  went  to  the 
south  front  and  summed  up  the  lesson  of  patriotism 
in  the  whole  combination,  and  after  that  a  few  minutes 
were  devoted  to  those  who  wished  to  ascend  the 
Obelisk. 

The  whole  party  was  then  conducted  to  Memorial 
Hall,  where  a  running  explanation  was  given  of  the 
relics  on  the  walls  and  the  tables.  I  then  opened  a 
book  and  gave  an  opportunity  for  those  who  desired 
to  register  their  names,  and  took  advantage  of  their 
being  thus  occupied  for  a  brief  respite  from  the  con- 
tinuous talking.  I  did  not  then,  as  I  do  now,  take  the 
contributions  at  the  door,  and  had  not  said  a  word 
about  money,  although  I  knew  from  some  remarks  on 
their  part  that  they  understood  there  was  a  regulation 
requiring  it,  and  that  they  had  probably  read  the  same 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  377 

as  there  is  a  copy  of  the  regulations  kept  at  each  door. 
While  some  were  writing  and  others  looking  at  this 
and  that  relic,  one  of  the  ministers  approached  me 
with  a  pleasant  smile  and  said :  "We  ought  to  license 
you  to  preach  while  we  are  here.  So  good  a  talker 
snould  certainly  be  a  preacher."  This  attracted  the 
attention  of  others  and  quite  a  number  of  them 
gathered  around  me.  Eeflecting  a  moment,  I  replied : 
"Gentlemen,  you  are  better  judges  of  my  qualifica- 
tions for  a  Methodist  preacher  than  I  am,  and  per- 
haps you  would  like  to  have  a  test,"  at  the  same  time 
removing  my  hat  and  holding  it  out  with  both  hands, 
added  the  words  :  "  Suppose  we  take  up  a  collection." 
The  shout  of  laughter  that  followed  showed  that  they 
appreciated  the  hit,  and  each  man  brought  forth  his 
pocket  book.  As  they  threw  in  the  twenty-five  cent 
postal  currency — silver  change  not  having  arrived 
since  the  war — accompanied  their  contributions  with 
such  remarks  as  "That  will  do."  "That  test  cannot  be 
excelled."  "That  will  carry  you  through."  "Come 
on,  we  will  license  you,"  etc.,  etc. 


Near  the  close  of  the  same  meeting  of  Conference, 
Bishop  Ames  made  a  visit,  accompanied  by  Eev.  Dr. 
Edwards,  of  the  Northwestern  Christian  Advocate. 
When  I  was  explaining  that  the  three  blank  ashlars 
on  the  east  side  in  the  cordon  of  States,  were  put  in  to 
make  it  more  symmetrical,  because  thirty-seven  was 
an  awkward  number  to  build  in,  Doctor  Edwards  said 
quickly,  put  on  the  letters  U.  S.  A.,  United  States  of 
America. 

After  that  I  frequently  alluded  to  the  suggestion  of 
Dr.  Edwards,  and  found  that  it  met  with  almost  uni- 
versal approval.  Quite  a  ludicrous  incident,  however, 
once  occurred  in  connection  with  it.  About  the  time 
General  Grant  was  being  talked  of  for  a  third  Presi- 
dential term,  I  was  explaining  to  a  company  of  seven 
or  eight,  and  when  I  spoke  of  the  probability  of  those 
letters  being  put  on,  one  of  the  company  became  very 
much  excited,  and  accompanied  his  demonstrations 
with  some  violent  expletives,  which  quite  surprised 


378  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

myself  and  his  fellow  visitors.  A  little  further  on  it 
was  discovered  that  the  man  had  misunderstood  me. 
He  thought  I  said  U.  S.  Gr.,  and  at  once  interpreted  it  to 
mean  that  we  were  going  to  put  Grant's  initials  on 
Lincoln's  Monument. 


On  another  occasion,  an  incident  of  quite  a  different 
character  occurred,  in  connection  with  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  initials  of  the  States.  I  was  explaining  to 
a  company  of  preachers — not  Methodists.  One  of 
them,  a  doctor  of  divinity,  with  a  lofty  wave  of  the 
hand  and  a  pompous  air,  said :  "We  do  not  want  to 
hear  anything  about  that, — we  know  all  about  the 
States,"  and  started  on  as  though  he  expected  to  take 
me  and  all  the  company  with  him,  asked  what  was  to 
go  on  the  next  pedestal.  I  stepped  back,  reclined 
against  the  balustrade  and  said  nothing.  The  Doctor 
looked  back,  called  to  me  to  come  on,  saying  we  want 
to  know  about  these  things.  I  said,  "Very  well,  sir, 
go  on ;  you  have  no  use  for  me."  He  insisted  that  I 
should  go  on,  and  I  positively  refused  to  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  him,  assuring  him  that  I  knew  my 
business  as  well  as  he  did  his  own.  The  other  minis- 
ters and  some  ladies  were  all  anxious  to  hear,  and  the 
Doctor  beginning  to  realize  the  awkwardness  of  the  sit- 
uation, changed  his  whole  demeanor,  saying  he  really 
desired  to  obtain  the  information,  and  would  not  inter- 
rupt me  again.  After  a  few  more  passes,  mixed  with 
a  little  asperity  on  both  sides,  he  became  quite  genial, 
and  by  the  time  we  got  through,  the  whole  party  were 
in  the  best  of  humor.  I  doubt  if  the  thought  ever 
occurred  to  the  good  Doctor,  what  he  would  have  done  if 
I  had  gone  to  hear  him  conduct  religious  services,  and 
he  had  commenced  by  reading  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and  I  had  told  him  I  did  not  want  to  hear  that, 
I  knew  all  about  it. 


On  one  occasion,  when  a  party  of  seven  or  eight 
persons,  who  had  ascended  the  Obelisk,  were  coming 
down,  I  saw  a  well-dressed  lady  and  gentleman  stand- 
ing at  the  most  favorable  point,  and  looking  at  the 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MOMUNENT.  379 

statue  of  the  President.  I  approached  them,  and 
asked  if  they  desired  to  be  shown  around  and  through 
the  monument.  Neither  made  any  reply,  and  I  was 
about  repeating  the  question,  when  I  became  aware 
that  the  lady  was  tossing  her  handkerchief  almost  in 
my  face.  I  looked  at  her  inquiringly,  and  saw  that 
her  bosom  was  heaving,  and  her  eyes,  steadily  fixed  on 
the  statue  of  Lincoln,  seemed  almost  ready  to  send 
forth  a  flood  of  tears.  Just  then  her  husband  said  in 
a  low  tone,  "She  does  not  wish  you  to  speak."  Always 
entertaining  the  most  profound  respect  for  feelings  too 
deep  for  utterance,  as  I  have  time  after  time  witnessed 
them  here,  I  quietly  withdrew.  A  few  minutes  later  I 
made  the  announcement  that  all  who  desired  could  go 
with  me  into  Memorial  Hall.  Those  who  had  been  in  the 
Obelisk  went  with  me,  and  after  about  ten  minutes  spent 
there  we  were  in  the  act  of  going  out,  in  order  to  visit, 
the  Catacomb,  when  the  couple  I  had  left  on  the  Ter- 
race appeared  at  the  door  of  the  Hall.  Reminding 
them  that  there  was  a  small  contribution  required,  the 
gentleman  handed  me  the  money.  At  the  same  time 
the  lady  said,  "Give  him  the  money,  but  we  do  not 
want  to  hear  another  word."  She  seemed  surprised 
at  finding  so  many  objects  of  interest  there,  and  made 
remarks  inquiringly  as  though  the  information  from 
me  would  be  acceptable,  notwithstanding  I  had 
been  distinctly  told  not  to  talk.  I  never  permit  myself 
to  be  catechised  under  any  such  circumstances,  and  the 
only  direct  question  and  answer  I  remember  was  when 
she  asked  :  "Where  does  all  the  money  collected  here 
go  to  ?"  The  reply  was  equally  abrupt :  "It  goes  into 
my  pocket,  Madam  ! "  They  soon  passed  out,  and  re- 
garding the  show  of  deep  feeling  as  a  mere  sham,  I  gave 
them  no  further  attention,  and  in  a  short  time  they 
departed,  without  entering  either  the  Catacomb  or 
Obelisk. 

Something  like  three  months  passed,  when,  on  a  very 
warm  morning,  I  was  superintending  some  work  on  the 
grounds,  I  saw  two  ladies  ascend  the  steps  to  the  Ter- 
race and  take  a  seat  over  Memorial  Hall,  in  front  of 
the  statue  of  Lincoln.  I  went  up  and  inquired  if  they 


380  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

were  visiting  the  monument  for  the  first  time.  One  of 
them,  pointing  to  the  other,  said :  "It  is  the  first  time 
for  her,  but  I  have  been  here  before."  I  looked  and 
recognized  my  friend  with  whom  I  had  parted  so  un- 
ceremoniously a  few  months  previous.  There  was  no 
time  lost  in  giving  me  to  understand  that  she  had  come 
to  have  it  out  with  me.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  report 
verbatim,  for  all  the  stenographers  in  the  State  could 
not  have  done  that ;  but  will  let  the  reader  imagine  a 
section  of  Dante's  Inferno,  the  Aurora  Borealis,  and  a 
tropical  cyclone,  with  their  electric  coruscations  and 
deep  reverberations,  all  in  one,  and  each  part  doing  its 
utmost  for  about  five  minutes,  as  the  best  description 
I  can  give  of  what  followed.  I  had  no  time  to  look 
up,  but  I  think  Lincoln's  statue  must  have  laughed  at 
the  ludicrous  scene.  When  we  were  becoming  ex- 
hausted, she  demanded  admittance  to  both  places  she 
had  paid  for,  but  failed  to  gain  at  her  former  visit. 
"Very  well,  madam,  you  shall  have  it ;  not  because 
you  demand  it  in  the  way  you  have,  but  because  I 
admit  every  person  who  has  paid  once.  I  first  conducted 
them  to  the  Obelisk  and  then  to  the  Catacomb.  Look- 
ing at  some  withered  flowers  on  the  Sarcophagus,  she 
said  to  the  other  lady  that  she  would  like  very  much 
to  take  something  from  there.  Overhearing  it,  I  said, 
"Help  yourself,  madam."  "0,"  she  said.  "I  meant 
something  living ;  something  that  will  grow."  I  then 
placed  a  small  pot-plant  before  her,  and  said,  "take 
that."  She  looked  at  me  in  amazement,  and  then  said, 
"Mr.  Power,  I  have  been  too  hard  on  you."  The  battle 
was  over.  I  then  conducted  them  to  Memorial  Hall, 
which  she  seemed  to  enjoy  with  redoubled  interest. 
In  there  I  handed  her  a  copy  of  the  second  edition  of 
this  book,  and  told  her  I  was  the  author  of  it.  She 
seemed  still  more  surprised.  Gradually  the  whole 
secret  of  her  actions  came  out.  She  had  been  told 
before  her  first  visit,  by  some  person  possessed  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Evil  One,  the  absurd  story  that  I  had 
once  been  a  servant  of  Lincoln's,  that  I  was  in  the 
position  I  am  as  an  act  of  charity,  that  all  my  talk 
was  mere  nonsense,  that  I  could  not  give  her  any 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  381 

information  worth  listening  to,  and  that  she  would 
do  well  to  treat  me  accordingly.  It  did  not  prove 
successful,  and  I  venture  to  say  that  in  all  her 
European  travels — for  she  was  a  lady  of  refinement 
and  culture  and  had  traveled  extensively — she  had 
not  a  more  valuable,  and,  in  the  end,  a  more  pleasant 
experience,  for  we  parted  the  best  of  friends. 

Of  all  the  classes  of  people  who  visit  the  monument, 
there  are  none  more  gentlemanly  and  lady  like  than 
the  members  of  the  theatrical  profession.  I  have 
never  known  an  actor  nor  an  actress  to  be  rude  or 
boorish  here.  An  actor  may  bear  evidence  of  having 
"tarried  long  at  the  wine  when  it  is  red,"  but  he  never 
fails  to  be  a  gentleman  while  here,  and  all,  both  male 
and  female,  manifest  the  highest  respect,  amounting 
almost  to  reverence  for  anything  associated  with  the 
memory  of  Lincoln.  Their  respectful  demeanor  may 
be  influenced  by  his  having  received  his  death  wound 
in  a  theater,  but  there  is  another  reason  why  they 
shou  Id  and  dp  make  themselves  generally  agreeable. 
Their  profession  is  a  life-long  effort  to  please,  which 
brings  immediate  returns.  Herein  their  example 
might  be  adopted  by  many  professing  Christians  with 
much  farther  reaching  results. 


On  a  pleasant  day  in  January,  1880,  hearing  foot" 
steps  on  that  part  of  the  Terrace  over  Memorial  HalL 
I  went  out,  and,  ascending  the  steps,  found  a  very  intel- 
ligent-looking gentleman  quietly  studying  the  statue  of 
Lincoln.  When  I  asked  him  if  he  was  taking  his  first 
look  at  the  Monument,  at  the  same  time  informing  him 
that  I  was  the  Custodian  and  would  render  him  any 
service  desired,  he  failed  to  show  the  slightest  signs  of 
recognition.  Leaving  him  to  his  meditations,  I  waited 
his  pleasure,  and  finally,  without  taking  his  eyes  from 
the  plain,  homely  face,  he  said : 

"I  have  been  an  infidel  all  my  life,  but  I  was  just 
wondering  if  it  could  be,  that  that  great  heart  is 
dead." 


382  LINCOLN  AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

I  thought  the  best  reply  would  be  to  leave  him  to 
his  thoughts  until  he  was  ready  to  hear  and  see  all, 
which  he  did  with  an  intelligent  interest  such  as  those 
can  best  do  who  have  fought  for  the  preservation  of 
liberty,  for  I  found  that  he  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
Union  army. 

Of  all  professions,  there  is  none  the  privileges  of 
which  are  so  mercilessly  abused  as  that  of  the  news- 
paper reporter.  I  have  been  in  the  profession  and  can 
truthfully  say  that  I  never  wrote  a  sentence  about  any 
man  that  I  would  not  have  preferred  to  speak  in  his 
hearing,  and  at  the  same  time  look  him  in  the  eye. 
If  this  rule  was  strictly  observed,  there  would  be  little 
cause  for  heart  burnings  from  correspondents.  But 
there  is  a  class  of  guerrillas  who  crowd  into  the  ranks 
of  decent  men,  and  with  brazen  affrontery  claim  every 
courtesy.  Having  received  them,  they  have  no  more 
scruples  than  the  cowardly  and  treacherous  Cossack, 
and  often  stab  in  the  back  those  who  have  treated 
them  most  kindly.  Many  of  this  kind  find  it  convenient 
to  get  off  some  insipid  attempts  at  wit  at  the  expense  of 
the  Custodian,  but  I  seldom  notice  them.  I  rather 
like  a  little  contest  occasionally  with  one  who  is 
able  and  willing,  in  a  gentlemanly  way,  to  give  and 
receive  hard  blows.  A  single  specimen  of  that  kind  will 
be  sufficient.  In  April,  1880,  "The  Woman's  Presbyte- 
rian Board  of  Missions  for  the  Northwest,"  com- 
posed of  about  six  hundred  delegates,  held  their 
annual  meeting  in  Springfield.  This  naturally  drew 
representatives  of  Presbyterian  newspapers  and  other 
parties  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  church. 
The  meeting  lasted  more  than  a  week,  and  during  that 
time  many  of  the  lady  delegates  visited  the  Monu- 
ment in  small  companies,  but  at  the  close  of  the  meet- 
ing, and  as  a  farewell  to  Springfield,  they  came  to  it 
something  like  an  avalanche.  Memorial  Hall  was 
soon  crowded  until  it  was  barely  possible  to  move 
around.  It  is  oval  in  form  with  a  ceiling  supported 
by  dome-groined  arches,  making  the  very  worst  form 
for  acoustics.  If  two  persons  talk  in  it  at  the  same 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  883 

time,  neither  can  be  understood.  In  order  to  save 
time  and  talking,  my  custom  is  to  go  rapidly  over  the 
entire  list  of  articles,  saying  but  a  few  words  about 
each  one,  occupying  from  three  to  five  minutes  and 
parrying  all  attempts  at  catechising  until  I  have  gone 
the  rounds.  On  this  particular  occasion  fully  seven- 
eighths  of  the  ladies  were  desirous  of  obtaining  the 
information  I  was  endeavoring  to  impart.  But  about 
one-eighth  of  them  were  deaf  to  every  appeal  from 
me,  and  to  all  entreaties  from  the  other  ladies,  and 
talk  they  would.  I  had  never  experienced  the  like 
before,  and  if  I  could  have  passed  out  unobserved,  I 
think  now  I  would  have  done  so  and  ran  away,  but  in 
sheer  desperation  I  determined  to  out-talk  them.  Just 
at  this  time,  when  it  would  seem  as  though  bedlam  was 
holding  high  carnival,  Doctor  W.  C.  Gray,  of  Chicago, 
managing  editor  of  the  Interior,  then  personally  un- 
known to  me,  appeared  at  the  door  and  was  admitted. 
We  will  take  an  editorial  in  his  paper  as  a  report  of 
the  scene,  although  there  is  a  very  strong  impression 
in  Springfield  that  a  woman  wrote  it,  but,  as  an  act  of 
chivalry,  the  Doctor  accepted  the  responsibility.  It 
appeared  in  the  paper  of  May  6,  1880. 

"The  Lincoln  Monument  is  situate  in  a  cemetery  which  has 
unusual  natural  beauty,  with  its  fine,  smoothly  shapen  hills  and 
deep  ravines.  The  emblematic  groups  representing  the  army  and 
navy  are  in  place,  and  together  with  the  great  statue  of  the  eman- 
cipator, are  noble  works  of  the  sculptor's  art.  The  Monument  is 
worthy  of  all  the  commendations  given  it  for  massiveness,  harmo- 
nious design  and  imposing  effect.  It  has  been  criticised,  of  course, 
— that  being  the  way  to  demonstrate  one's  superior  artistic  knowl- 
edge, and  the  more  perfect  the  object  criticised,  the  finer  critical 
acumen  it  shows. 

"There  is  a  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  Monument  whom  they 
call  the  Custodian.  On  leaving  the  scene,  one  of  the  missionary 
ladies  suggested  that  for  the  sake  of  brevity  he  should  be  called 
simply  Mr.  Cus.  The  eloquence  of  Mr.  Custodian  is  wonderful.  He 
addresses  visitors  in  a  lofty,  uninterrupted  Demosthenian  strain, 
from  the  time  they  arrive  until  they  depart.  It  is  not  a  good  place 
to  rest,  not  even  if  one  were  dead.  Within  the  Monument  is  a  fine 
marble-lined  apartment,  in  which  are  numerous  relics  of  the 
departed — letters  of  sympathy  and  mourning  over  his  death  froin 
the  governments  and  magnates  of  the  world.  Conspicuous  in  a 
glass  case  are  a  pair  of  dilapidated  gaiter  shoes.  We  looked  on 


384  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

them  with  veneration — doubtless  the  shoes  which  he  wore  on  the 
night  of  his  assassination.  A  lady  in  a  sympathetic  and  low  tone 
ventured  to  say  as  much,  whereupon  the  loud  voice  of  Mr.  Cus-todiaii 
was  heard  commanding  silence.  A  party  of  us  started  for  the 
grating  door,  but  found  it  pad-locked.  It  was  evident  that  the 
orator  had  us.  He  had  cut  off  retreat  from  the  very  muzzle  of  his 
double-shotted  oratorical  columbiad;  so  we  went  back  to  look  at  the 
shoes.  In  due  time  he  approached  that  part  of  his  subject.  'These 
shoes,'  he  said  impressively,  'are  the  shoes  worn  by  the  thief  who 
tried  to  steal  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln.'  Women,  you  know, 
are  irrepressibly  curious — likewise  logical.  So  up  spoke 
a  meek-eyed  missionary,  and  said,  '  If  you  got  the  shoes, 
how  did  it  happen  that  you  did  not  get  the  thief?' 
Mr.  Cus — we  insist  on  giving  him  his  full  title — todian, 
withered  her  with  the  sage  remark,  'I  will  explain  that, 
madam,  when  I  come  to  it.'  So  we  had  been  paying  homage  to  the 
foot-furniture  of  afoot-pad!  Another  effort  was  made  to  get  out, 
when  Mr.  Cus — we  never  did  believe  in  nick-names,  even  for  the 
sake  of  brevity — todian  was  at  the  exit,  and  in  a  mild,  sweet  voice, 
in  beautiful  contrast  with  his  oratorical  style,  said,  'Twenty-five 
cents  each,  if  you  please — were  you  not  aware  that  there  was  an 
admission  fee?'  We  were  not  aware.  'If  you  please,'  was  a  figure 
of  speech.  It  was  not  the  pleasure  that  we  were  to  pay  for. 
Twenty-five  cents  might  have  been  a  protective  tariff  as  an  admis- 
sion fee,  but  as  a  fee  for  getting  out,  there  is  no  other  way  in  which 
that  small  sum  can  be  invested  so  as  to  secure  more  pleasure.  Mr. 
Cus — we  adhere  to  his  full  title — todian,  receives  this  fee  'for  his 
support,'  we  understand.  It  is  a  modest  price  for  the  stentorian 
power  exhausted  in  earning  it.  But  perhaps  it  is  not  fair  to  meas- 
ure Mr.  Custodian's  corn  in  our  half-bushel.  He  really  has  a  fine 
reputation  as  an  orator.  Audiences  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  hang 
upon  his  lips  like  bees  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaf  just  before 
swarming  time.  Amid  such  daily  triumphs,  he  can  look  down 
upon  his  critics  with  lofty  indifference,  and  smile  as  he  thinks  of 
the  pad-locked  door. 

"Springfield  is  a  very  pleasant  city,  and  is  worthy  of  its  sug- 
gestive name.  It.  is  a  city  of  beautiful  homes,  located  in  broad 
grounds  and  on  wide  streets.  It  is  so  abundantly  shaded  by  fine 
old  trees  as  to  be  largely  hidden  from  view,  from  any  elevated  point 
of  observation.  The  houses  are  clean  and  fresh  looking;  the 
lawns  are  neat  and  not  guadily  over-decorated.  The  universal 
neatness  reminds  one  of  Saratoga.  There  is  the  greatest  variety  in 
the  architecture  of  the  residences — a  mingling  of  the  solid-comfort 
style  of  building,  which  marks  the  colder  climate  of  the  more 
northern  cities,  with  the  verandahs  and  porches  of  the  warmer 
latitudes.  In  hotels,  it  has  not  much  to  boast.  One  of  them,  sur- 
named  the  'Inter-Ocean,'  was  disowned  by  the  representative  of 
that  aristocratic  paper.  The  new  State  House — well,  we  must  not 
criticise  it,  unless  we  are  willing  to  suffer  the  displeasure  of  all 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT.  385 

loyal  Springfielders.  It  is  not  complete.  The  great  portico  awaits 
an  appropriation  before  it  can  be  in  place.  It  will  greatly  add  to 
the  symmetry  of  the  whole  work." 

I  received  the  paper  containing  the  article  the  same 
day  it  was  published,  but  did  not  open  it  until  my 
attention  was  called  to  the  subject.  I  nursed  my  wrath 
an  hour  or  two,  and  if  I  had  attempted  to  answer 
during  that  time  would,  doubtless,  have  given  cause  to 
suspect  that  the  play  upon  my  title  as  Custodian  was 
not  far  wrong.  Becoming  more  cool,  I  reflected  that 
the  best  way  to  vanquish  an  assailant  is  to  turn  the 
laugh  on  him.  Following  that  line,  the  reader  will 
judge  of  my  success.  The  Doctor  had  the  Christian 
manliness  and  spirit  of  fair-play,  not  only  to  publish 
my  reply,  but  to  add  an  appreciative  postcript,  all  of 
which  appeared  in  the  Interior  of  May  20th,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  copy : 

MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN    "I 
MONUMENT,  May  8,  1880.         J 

DEAR  DOCTOR  :  How  could  you?  Here  I  have  been,  lo,  these  many 
years,  reading  The  Interior,  and  thinking  how  happy  I  would  be  to 
meet  and  take  you  by  the  hand,  and  you  have  come  and  gone,  and 
I  never  knew  when  I  met  you,  and  would  not  have  known  except  for 
the  sting  you  thrust  back  in  your  paper  of  the  6th  instant.  Then, 
to  think,  Doctor,  how  you  slurred  us  all  over,  in  speaking  of  the 
Illinois  Capitol,  as  though  we  Springfielders  claimed  it  all  for  our- 
selves. True,  we  have  been  sufficiently  blackmailed  on  account  of 
it  to  justify  us  in  claiming  it,  but  we  do  not. 

Then,  you  say:  "In  hotels  it  has  not  much  to  boast."  Doctor, 
where  were  your  eyes,  your  ears,  to  say  nothing  of  your  palate? 
Did  you,  or  did  you  not  learn  of  the  palatial  Leland,  where  may  be 
found  luxurious  rooms,  and  tables  loaded  with  a  bill  of  fare  good 
enough  for  a  pope,  emperor,  king,  president,  yourself,  or  any  other 
man.  Then  you  pass  the  Revere,  St.  Nicholas,  and  other  good 
houses,  and  pounce  upon  a  third-class  boarding-house,  not  recog- 
nized at  all  by  citizens  of  Springfield  as  a  hotel,  and  name  that  as 
your  only  specimen  of  capitoliati  hotels. 

Doctor,  only  think  of  your  report  of  a  visit  to  this  Monument.  I 
am  here  under  direction  of  an  association  of  fifteen  gentlemen,  any 
one  of  whom  is  the  peer  of  yourself  in  integrity  and  gentlemanly 
deportment.  They  are  organized  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  I  make  monthly  reports  to  that  Association,  and  at  any 
hour  am  subject  to  their  supervision  or  removal.  In  the  absence  of 
prescribed  orders,  I  exercise  my  own  judgment,  and  have  never 
been  censured  by  them  for  disobedience,  or  any  other  cause,  so  that 

25 


386  LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

it  is  reasonable  to  presume  my  transactions  are  satisfactory  to  them. 
The  probability  is  that  you  have  traveled  sufficiently  to  know  that 
there  is  something  to  pay  at  all  places  similar  to  this.  At  the 
Washington  monument  in  Baltimore,  you  would  have  to  pay  fifteen 
cents;  at  Bunker  Hill  twenty  cents;  at  Mount  Vernon,  one  dollar 
to  the  steamboat,  that  takes  you  there, — twenty-five  cents  of  which 
goes  to  the  Ladies'  Association  having  it  in  charge, — and  you  can 
not  gain  access  to  it  in  any  other  way.  Then,  if  you  were  to  cross 
the  Atlantic  and  visit  the  Tower  of  London,  you  would  not  only 
have  a  fee  to  pay,  but  would  be  compelled  to  tarry  in  a  waiting- 
room  until  a  certain  number  of  visitors  arrived,  and  have  doors 
locked  after  yju  wherever  you  went.  If  you  did  not  know  all  that, 
you  certainly  can  read,  and  the  rules  by  which  I  am  governed  are 
plainly  printed  and  put  up  at  each  of  the  three  doors.  If  you  did 
not  intend  to  comply  with  them,  you  ought  to  have  remained  out- 
side. If  you  did,  why  snarl  at  the  pad-lock,  which  is  only  intended 
as  a  matter  of  economy,  in  the  absence  of  sufficient  income  to 
defray  the  expense  of  a  dnor-heeper.  I  trust,  Doctor,  that  you  may 
never  be  on  the  wrong  side  of  any  worse  pad-lock  than  you  found 
here!  It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  me,  Doctor,  even  though  it  were 
something  of  a  torture  to  you,  if  I  could  make  you  realize  how 
many  pleasant  things  you  overlooked,  about  which  you  might  have 
written,  and  the  best,  you  could  do  was  to  find  a  pretext  to  swear, 
and  then  lay  the  suggestion  of  the  thought  to  a  woman.  You  said 
a  lady,  but  a  lady  never  swears.  Adam  could  not  have  done  worse 
than  that.  When  detected  in  a  wrong  act,  he  only  skulked  behind 
Eve,  and  whined  out  to  the  Lord,  "The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to 
be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree  and  I  di  1  eat." 

Doctor,  you  speak  of  my  lofty  eloquence.  I  was  constrained  to 
employ  the  altitudinous  variety  in  self-defense.  How  could  I  have 
risen  above  the  din  of  twenty  or  more  female  voices  in  any  other 
way?  In  imagination  I  hear  you  say,  why  talk  at  all?  Let  each 
one  look  for  him  or  herself.  I  have  tried  that  to  my  heart's  con- 
tent. With  such  a  company  as  you  saw,  there  would  be  silence  for 
about  one-tenth  of  the  time  there  was  in  heaven  on  a  certain  occa- 
sion we  read  of,  and  then  more  questions  than  ten  men  could  answer  in 
an  hour,  and  all  expected  to  be  answered  by  one  man  in  five 
minutes.  That  is  the  reason  why  I  require  silence  until  I  get 
through.  The  great  mass  of  people  come  here  to  learn  the  most 
they  can  in  the  shortest  time.  If  there  are  many  who  wish  to  hear 
and  one  or  two  who  do  not,  I  sometimes  have  occasion  to  show  that 
one  or  two  the  door,  and  insist  that  they  shall  go  out  or  keep  silent, 
just  as  you  would  do  in  any  service  you  was  expected  to  be  respon- 
sible for.  It  is  said  that  order  is  heaven's  first  law.  If  I  can  not 
preserve  it  here,  I  prefer  being  thrust  out  myself.  I  aim  to  pre- 
serve order  because  it  is  right  of  itself,  and  in  my  own  self-defense. 
I  have  been  acting  in  self-defense  all  my  life.  '  I  am  writing  this 
article  in  self-defense. 


LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT.  387 

One  of  my  weaknesses  from  boyhood  has  been  sleeping  in  church. 
I  was  compelled  to  do  it  in  self-defense.  Perhaps  you  ask,  how  ? 
For  fifteen  years  or  more,  I  was  required  to  attend  services  one 
Saturday  and  Sunday  in  each  month,  at  a  genuine,  simon-pure,  old- 
fashioned,  Hardshell  Baptist  church,  in  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
Such  a  church  was  never  known  to  exist  north  of  the  Ohio  river, 
and  I  doubt  if  it  can  exist  in  the  South  much  longer.  During  all 
that  fifteen  years  I  sat  under  the  same  sermon,  from  the  same  man, 
Rev.  Joel  M.  It  was  full  three  hours  long,  all  in  that  blessed  tone 
so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  elder  sisters  of  his  congregation.  It 
made  no  difference  whether  his  text  was  in  Genesis  or  Revelation, 
the  sermon  was  always  the  same,  with  the  exception  of  a  sentence 
or  two  at  the  opening  and  closing.  It  abounded  in  stereotyped 
phrases,  such  as  "mourning  like  a  dove,"  and  "chattering  like  a 
swallow,"  accompanied  with  tones  and  gestures  as  though  he  was 
trying  to  imitate  the  birds.  These  long  sittings  were  more  than 
my  youthful  flesh  could  endure,  hence  it  became  absolutely  neces- 
sary, as  a  means  of  self-dense,  for  me  to  wear  away  part  of  the 
time  in  sleep.  I  never  realize  so  fully  at  any  other  time,  that  I  am 
a  monument  of  mercy,  as  when  thinking  of  that  sermon,  arid  how 
I  survived  it.  But  it  was  not.  all  evil.  There  was  one  redeeming  fea- 
ture in  it,  the  benefit  of  which  I  am  enjoying  to  the  present  time.  I 
used  to  preach  that  same  sermon  on  odd  Sundays  to  congregations 
of  boys  and  negroes,  assembled  behind  barns  and  under  shade  trees, 
and  that  is  the  way  I  acquired  that  Demosthenian  eloquence  which 
you  so  much  admire. 

[*Alt,hough  the  habit  of  sleeping  in  church  was  acquired 
strictly  in  self-defense,  it,  has  sometimes  proved  to  be  quite  annoy- 
ing. After  marriage,  myself  and  wife  became  members  of  a  Pres- 
byterian church  less  than  one  hundred  miles  from  Cincinnati,  and 
at  one  time  made  our  home  in  the  family  of  the  pastor,  Rev.  L.  R.  B. 
He  could  not  fail  to  observe  my  weakness,  and  would  occasionally 
remind  me  of  it.  I  would  retort  by  saying  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
preach  such  sermons  as  would  keep  me  awake.  He  would  usually 
speak  my  name  as  though  it  had  a  plural  termination,  which  it  has 
not.  The  seating  in  the  church  was  promiscuous,  consequently 
upon  one  very  warm  day,  I  found  myself  under  the  necessity  of 
occupying  quite  a  conspicuous  place  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  It 
required  unusual  exertions  to  retain  an  upright  position,  but  I  did 
not  become  so  sound  asleep  as  to  prevent  my  knowing  when  the 
minister  closed  his  sermon,  opened  his  hymn  book  and  read  dis- 
tinctly from  one  of  Dr.  Watts'  good  old  hymns, 

"My  drowsy  powers,  why  sleep  ye  so? 

Awake  my  sluggish  soul; 
Nothing  has  half  thy  work  to  do, 

Yet  nothing's  half  so  dull." 

*  That  part  in  brackets  never  appeared  in  the  Interior,  having 
been  voluntarily  withdrawn  after  being  sent  to  the  office,  in  order  to 
abbreviate  the  article. 


388  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

By  the  time  the  reading  of  the  first  verse  was  done,  I  was 
thoroughly  aroused,  and  felt  as  though  all  eyes  were  upon  me,  but  pre- 
served a  respectful  demeanor.  We  walked  home  together,  but  the 
events  of  the  morning  were  not  alluded  to  until  all  were  seated  at 
the  dinner  table.  Assuming  a  serious  expression  of  countenance, 
for  I  really  thought  he  had  selected  that  hymn  as  applicable  to  my 
case,  I  said:  'Brother  B.,  I  think  I  have  just  cause  to  complain  of 
you.'  'Why  so?'  said  he  with  an  inquiring  look.  'Because,  sir, 
you  to-day  took  occasion  to  point  out  my  infirmities  publicly,  when 
you  could  just  as  well  have  done  it  privately.'  With  a  puzzled 
expression  of  countenance  he  said:  'I  do  not  understand  you, 
please  explain.'  'Well,  sir,  at  the  close  of.  your  sermon  this  morn- 
ing, seeing  I  had  been  asleep  as  usual,  you  could  not  wait  until 
our  arrival  at  home  to  reprove  me,  but  under  pretense  of  reading  a 
hymn  called  aloud: 

'My  drowsy  Powers,  why  sleep  ye  so?' 

I  then  found  that  the  selection  of  that  hymn  was  entirely 
unpremediated  on  his  part,  and,  therefore,  will  not  attempt  to 
describe  what  ensued,  but  any  allusion  to  the  subject  after  that, 
was  sure  to  provoke  the  most  unbounded  mirth.] 

One  thing  I  want  distinctly  understood,  I  have  thus  far,  acted  in 
self-defense,  but  now  I  assume  the  aggressive,  become  a  missionary, 
and  if  I  can  prevent  it  no  other  person  shall  suffer  as  I  have  done. 
As  long  as  I  preach  my  sermon  here,  neither  man,  woman,  nor  child 
shall  ever  sleep  under  it,  until  they  are  dead,  and  then  I  shall  do 
my  utmost  to  prevent  their  bodies  being  carried  away  by  vandal 
hands.  J.  C.  POWER,  Custodian. 


P.  S. — We  did  not  make  anything  by  stirring  up  Bro.  Power. 
However  soundly  he  may  have  slept  under  his  Hardshell  pastor,  it 
is  evidently  not  easy  to  catch  him  napping  now.  G. 

The  affair  was  so  ludicrous  that  it  attracted  some 
attention,  and  I  received  a  number  of  letters  of  con- 
gratulation. I  will  quote  from  three  of  them,  from  as 
many  different  States,  the  two  first  are  from  Presbyte- 
rian ministers  of  my  acquaintance : 

J.    C.  Power: 

MY  DEAR  SIR — "I  congratulate  you  on  your  answer  to  the 
Interior.  It  was  first-rate  good  sense — ten  times  better  than  if  you 
had  clawed  it.  It  was,  moreover,  Christian  good  sense.  I  shall 
vote  for  you  to  stay  at  the  Monument."  G.  H.  F. 

Bro.  Power: 

"Previous  to  receiving. the  papers  which  you  had  the  kindness  to 
send  me,  I  read  your  letter  to  our  Bro.  G.,  and  said  to  myself,  Dr. 
XJ.  has  met  more  than  his  match,  now  that  he  has  awakened  my 


LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT.  389 

'brother,  J.  C.  Power.  1  shall  pin  my  vote  with  Bro.  F.'s  to  con- 
tinue you  in  a  position  where,  I  feel  fully  persuaded,  the  right 
man  is  in  the  right  place.  It  is  certainly  a  favorable  school  in 
which  to  study  men  and  manners.  May  your  bow  abide  in 
strength."  Kind  salutations,  etc., 

W.  L.  T. 
J.    C.  Power : 

"This,  from  one  whom  you  do  not  know,  and  whose  humble 
position  in  life  will  ever  render  him  one  of  the  'great  unknown,' 
is  addressed  to  you,  to  tender  you  thanks  for  your  efforts  to  enter- 
tain and  interest  those  who  visit  the  Lincoln  Monument,  of  which 
you  are  Custodian.  The  attention  paid  by  you  to  an  aged  relative 
while  visiting  the  Monument,  rendered  the  visit  instructive  and 
entertaining.  He  remembers  Springfield  as  a  pleasant  place  to 
visit,  chiefly  from  the  polite  and  considerate  attention  received 
from  you  while  visiting  the  Monument.  This  is  written  because  of 
an  unjust  criticism  against  you,  which  I  noticed  in  a  late  Chicago 
paper." 

It  is  not  in  a  spirit  of  egotism,  but  strictly  in  self- 
defense,  that  I  give  two  more  specimens,  in  order  to 
show  how  people  feel  and  act  who  come  with  an  honest 
desire  to  be  entertained  and  edified.  A  lady-corres- 
pondent of  the  Detroit  Evening  News,  closes  a  long  and 
very  carefully  written  letter  with  these  words : 

"It  only  remains  to  acknowledge  the  indebtedness  of  the  writer 
for  the  information  here  given,  to  the  intelligent,  courteous  and 
genial  Custodian  of  the  Monument,  Mr.  John  Carroll  Power,  whose 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  duties  of  his  position  is  only  equaled  by 
the  fidelity,  the  readiness  and  the  grace  with  which  he  discharges 
them." 

Another,  a  lady  correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati 
•Commercial,  says : 

"It  is  with  no  feeling  of  horror  or  gloom  that  I  stand  beside  this 
Coffin.  Everything  is  so  sweet  and  clean  and  pure.  The  gray- 
haired  man  at  my  side  has  such  friendly  eyes,  and  is  so  kindly  and 
pleasant.  He  has  in  his  hand  the  keys  that  hold  a  Nation's  price- 
less dead.  Yet  so  gentle  is  he  that  I  lay  my  hand  unrebuked  on 
the  rich  casket,  while  he  tells  me  stories  of  the  dead,  and  I  tumble 
the  perfumed  blossoms  in  more  sightly  garlands  over  the  lid.  *  *  * 
How  far  away  George  and  Martha  Washington  are  from  life,  barred 
in  their  unwept,  undecked  tomb  at  Mount  Vernon.  We  press  our 
faces  against  the  barred  door.  We  wish  we  could  brush  away  the 
litter  of  twigs  that  the  sparrows  have  carried  in.  We  would  like 
to  put  a  red  rose  above  the  fair  Mistress  Washington,  but  we  cannot 
reach  her.  Lincoln's  coffin  we  can  stand  by,  we  can  touch,  we  can 
bend  over,  we  can  decorate.  He  is  nearer,  we  are  not  shut  away 
by  bars.  He  is  yet  our  neighbor  and  friend." 


390  LINCOLN   AND    THE    MONUMENT. 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

Some  points  in  the  history  of  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation  may  not  be  generally  known,  and  I  have 
given  the  matter  sufficient  attention  to  obtain  the  most 
essential  facts.  September  22, 1862,  President  Lincoln 
issued  his  preliminary  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
giving  notice  that  unless  certain  conditions  were  com- 
plied with  in  less  than  one  hundred  days,  he  would 
issue  a  proclamation  declaring  freedom  to  the  slaves 
in  certain  States  and  parts  of  States,  then  in  rebellion 
against  the  authority  of  the  United  States.  The  final 
Emancipation  Proclamation  was  issued  January  1, 
1863,  by  which  more  than  three  millions  of  slaves 
were  liberated.  At  the  instance  of  the  ladies  about 
to  open  a  fair  in  Chicago  for  the  sanitary  commission, 
Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  then  a  member  of  Congress 
from  Chicago,  addressed  a  note  to  President  Lincoln 
asking  him  to  give  them  the  original  draft  of  the 
proclamation,  that  they  might  dispose  of  it  with  the 
understanding  that  it  be  deposited  with  the  Historical 
Society  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied : 

EXECUTIVE   MANSION, 
WASHINGTON,  October  26,  1863. 

Ladies  having  in  charge  the  Northwestern  Fair  for  the   Sanitary    Com- 
mission,   Chicago,  Illinois: 

According  to  the  request  made  in  your  behalf,  the  original  draft 
of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  is  herewith  inclosed.  The  formal 
words  at  the  top,  and  the  conclusion,  except  the  signature,  you 
perceive  are  not  in  my  handwriting.  They  were  written  at  the 
State  Department,  by  whom,  I  know  not.  The  printed  part  was 
cut  from  a  copy  of  the  preliminary  proclamation,  and  pasted  on 
merely  to  save  writing.  I  had  some  desire  to  retain  the  paper,  but  if 
it  shall  contribute  to  the  relief  or  comfort  of  the  soldiers,  that  ivill  be 
better.  Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  LINCOLN. 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT.  391 

Having  written  to  Mr.  Arnold  to  ascertain  who  pur- 
chased it,  and  the  amount  realized  by  the  ladies,  I 
received  a  letter  from  him  dated  Chicago,  March  4, , 
1882,  from  which  the  following  is  a  quotation : 

"At  the  Sanitary  Fair  it  was  purchased  by  THOMAS  B.  BRYAN, 
of  Chicago,  who  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  Fair  for  it  the  sura 
of  $3,000.  Afterwards  it  was  deposited  in  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  and  burned  in  the  great  fire,  October  9,  1871." 

I  wrote  again  to  Mr.  Arnold,  calling  his  attention  to 
an  article  in  the  Century  Magazine  for  December,  1881, 
by  the  distinguished  artist,  Mr.  Leonard  W.  Volk,  of 
Chicago,  on  the  Lincoln  life  mask,  and  how  it  was 
made.  Mr.  Volk  had  made  a  statue  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  when  he  measured  the  height  of  Lincoln, 
said  to  him  .- 

"You  are  just  twelve  inches  taller  than  Judge 
Douglas,  that  is  just  six  feet  and  one  inch." 

I  next  quoted  the  last  paragraph  from  a  fac  simile 
before  me,  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  autobiography,  written  in 
1859,  at  the  request  of  Hon.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  of  Blooming- 
ton,  Illinois,  who  retains  the  original.  It  reads  as 
follows : 

"If  any  personal  description  of  me  is  thought  desirable,  it  may 
be  said.  I  am  in  height,  six  feet  four  inches,  nearly,  lean  in  flesh, 
weighing  on  an  average  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  dark 
complexion,  with  coarse,  black  hair,  and  gray  eyes,  no  other  marks 
or  brands  recollected."  Yours  very  truly, 

HON.  J.  W.  FELL.  A.  LINCOLN. 

I  pointed  out  the  discrepancy  of  the  three  inches 
and  said  that  I  preferred  Mr.  Lincoln's  fac  simile  to 
Mr.  Volk's  memory,  and  asked  Mr.  Arnold  if  he  could 
endorse  me  in  the  event  of  my  making  the  same  state- 
ment to  the  publishers  of  the  Century  Magazine.  He 
replied : 

CHICAQO,  March  10,  1882. 
J.   C.  Power: 

DEAR  SIR — "Mr.  Volk  is  mistaken.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  six  feet 
four  inches.  I  will  with  pleasure  endorse  your  and  his — 
Lincoln's — statement  to  that  effect."  ISAAC  N.  ARNOLD. 

As  there  has  been  frequent  mention  of  how  Mr. 
Lincoln  came  to  cultivate  whiskers,  I  deem  it  of 
sufficient  interest  to  give  a  brief  account  of  it. 


392  LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Hon.  George  W.  Patterson, 
of  Westfield,  New  York,  I  was,  in  1878,  placed  in 
correspondence  with  the  "little  girl"  who  suggested  to 
Mr.  Lincoln  that  he  would  look  better  if  he  would 
permit  his  beard  to  grow.  I  learned  that  her  maiden 
name  was  Grace  Bedell,  but  she  had,  "after  the 
manner  of  womankind,"  changed  it  to  Billings,  and 
that  her  home  was  in  Delphos,  Kansas.  She  was 
then  visiting  relatives  in  her  native  State.  I  wrote  to 
Mrs.  Billings  asking  her  to  give  me,  in  her  own 
language,  an  account  of  the  circumstances  connected 
with  her  having  made  the  suggestion.  The  following 
is  her  well  written  reply : 

ALBION,  N.  Y.,  October  2,  1878. 
Mr.  J.   C.  Power : 

Your  favor  of  September  nineteenth  is  before  me,  and  I  will  with 
pleasure  comply  with  your  request,  as  far  as  the  lapse  of  years  and 
consequent  forgetfulness  will  allow.  It  is  indeed  true,  as  you 
observe,  that  any  incident  connected  with  the  life  of  this  great  and 
good  man  will  always  be  of  interest  to  the  American  people,  and 
you  have  my  permission  to  make  use  of  this,  should  you  consider 
it  of  sufficient  importance.  We  were  at  that  time  residing  at 
Westfield,  New  York.  My  father,  who  was  a  staunch  Republican, 
brought  one  day  to  me, — who  followed  in  his  footsteps  and  was  a 
zealous  champion  of  Mr.  Lincoln, — a  picture  of  Lincoln  and 
Hamlin,  one  of  those  coarse,  exaggerated,  so-called  likenesses, 
which  it  seems  to  be  the  fate  of  our  long-suffering  people  to  have 
thrust  upon  them  in  such  contests. 

Those  were  days  when  every  word  or  incident,  however  trivial, 
connected  with  the  opposing  candidates,  was  read  and  weighed  as 
if  heavy  with  import.  So  the  personal  appearance  of  the  two  men 
was  discussed,  and  undoubtedly  the  low  jeers  and  unworthy  com- 
parisons so  current  at  the  time,  are  as  fresh  in  your  mind  as  my 
own.  You  are  familiar  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  physiognomy,  and 
remember  the  high  forehead  over  those  sadly  pathetic  eyes,  the 
angular  lower  face,  with  the  deep  cut  lines  about  the  mouth.  As  I 
regarded  the  picture,  I  said  to  my  mother:  "He  would  look  better 
if  he  wore  whiskers,  and  I  mean  to  write  and  tell  him  so."  She 
laughingly  assented,  and  I  proceeded  to  give  him  my  name,  age, 
place  of  residence,  my  views  as  to  his  fitness  for  the  Presidency 
opinion  of  his  personal  appearance,  and  that  I  thought  it  would  be 
much  improved  if  he  would  cultivate  whiskers,  adding  as  an 
inducement,  that  if  he  would,  I  would  try  and  coax  my  two 
Democratic  brothers  to  cast  their  votes  for  him.  In  my  heart  of 
hearts  I  feared  that  this  rather  free  criticism  might  give  offense, 
and  so  tried  to  soften  the  blow, — a  born  diplomatist,  you  see, — by 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT.  393 

assuring  him  that  I  thought  the  rail-fence  around  his  picture 
looked  real  pretty,  and  ended  by  asking  him  if  he  had  not  time  to 
answer  my  letter,  to  allow  his  little  girl  to  reply  for  him.  I 
remember  well  one  particular,  the  address.  It  burns  within  my 
memory  yet : 

'HoN.  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN,  ESQ.' 

When  -I  confided  to  a  sister  that  1  had  written  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
she  expressed  a  doubt  as  to  whether  I  had  addressed  it  correctly. 
To  prove  that  I  had,  and  that  she  might  trust  the  evidence  of 
things  seen,  I  re-wrote  the  address  and  handed  it  to  her  for 
inspection.  I  was  laughed  at  until  I  was  speedily  reduced  to  a 
more  "umble"  frame  of  mind  than  Dickens'  Uriah  Heep  ever 
dreamed  of. 

His  anxiety  at  that  time  must  have  been  intense.  The  din  of 
political  strife,  with  its  malice,  threats  and  rumors  of  war,  all  the 
fore-runners  of  that  day,  not  far  distant  when  the  "land  should  be 
red  with  judgments,"  when  good  men  prayed,  "Give  us  grace  to 
keep  our  faith,  and  patience ;  wherefore  should  we  leap  on  one 
hand  into  fratricidal  fight,  or  on  the  other  yield  eternal  right." 
But  amid  all  the  care  and  turmoil  of  his  life,  he  still  found  time  to 
answer  the  letter  of  a  child.  How  this  simple  act  shows  the  gentle, 
humorous  side  of  the  man's  nature.  In  very  truth  he  was  a 
gentle-man,  and  the  world  will  not  soon  see  his  like  again.  I  am 
also  obliged  to  depend  upon  my  memory  for  Mr.  Lincoln's  reply, 
for  although  the  original  is  still  in  my  possession,  it  is  at  my 
home  in  Delphos,  Kansas.  I  think,  however,  I  can  give  it  to  you 
verbatim,  as  I  have  read  it  many  times  : 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Oct.  19,  I860. 
Miss   Grace  Bedell  : 

MY  DEAR  LITTLE  Miss : — Your  very  agreeable  letter  of  the 
fifteenth  is  received.  I  regret  the  necessity  of  saying  I  have  no 
daughter.  I  have  three  sons ;  one  seventeen,  one  nine,  and  one 
seven  years  of  age.  They,  with  their  mother,  constitute  my  whole 
family.  As  to  the  whiskers,  having  never  worn  any,  do  you  not. 
think  people  would  call  it  a  piece  of  silly  affectation  if  I  should 
begin  it  now  ? 

Your  very  sincere  well-wisher, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

Nevertheless,  my  suggestion  was  not  despised  as  you  are  aware, 
nor  was  the  circumstance  forgotten,  as  after  his  election,  he 
inquired  of  Hon.  G.  W.  Patterson,  who  accompanied  him  on  his 
trip  from  Springfield  to  Washington,  and  whose  residence  was  also 
nt  Westfield,  if  he  knew  a  family  bearing  the  name  of  Bedell.  Mr. 
Patterson  replying  in  the  affirmative,  Mr.  Lincoln  said  that  he  had 
received  a  letter  from  a  little  girl,  "advising  me  to  wear  whiskers, 
as  she  thought  it  would  improve  my  looks,  and  you  see  I  have  fol- 
lowed her  suggestion."  He  said  further,  that  the  character  of  the 
letter  was  so  unlike  many  which  he  was  daily  receiving,  some 


394  LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

asking  for  office,  and  many  threatening  assassination,  should  he 
be  elected,  that  it  was  a  relief  and  pleasure  to  receive  it.  When 
the  train  reached  Westfield,  Mr.  Lincoln  made  a  short  speech  from 
the  platform  of  the  car,  saying  that  he  had  a  little  correspondent 
at  Westfield,  called  Grace  Bedell,  and  if  she  were  present,  he  would 
like  to  see  her.  I  was  present,  but  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  I 
had  neither  seen  nor  heard  the  speaker,  but  a  friend  helped  me 
forward,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped  down  to  the  platform  where  I 
stood,  shook  hands  with  and  kissed  me,  saying  as  he  touched  his 
beard,  "You  see  I  let  t.hese  whiskers  grow  for  you,  Grace,"  shook 
my  hand  again  cordially  and  re-entered  the  car;  and  that  was  the 
first  and  last  I  ever  saw  of  this  hero  and  mart.yr. 

That  he  did  not,  forget  me,  I  received  occasional  assurances, 
though  small  would  have  been  the  wonder  had  I  been  forgotten  in 
those  dreadful  years  which  followed — years  of  bloodshed  and 
mourning,  when 

"  Fields  of  duty  opened  wide, 

Where  all  his  powers 

Were  tasked,  the  eager  steps  to  guide, 

Of  millions  on  a  path  untried, 

When  the  slave  was  ours  !" 

Veiy  truly  yours, 

GRACE  BEDELL  BILLINGS. 

Grace  Bedell  was  less  than  thirteen  years  of  age 
when  she  wrote  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  At  my  request  she 
sent  his  letter  to  me,  that  I  might  have  it  photographed. 
I  noticed  that  it  was  blurred,  and  upon  inquiry  was 
informed  that  when  she  received  it,  the  weather  was 
quite  cold  and  a  light  snow  falling.  In  her  eager  desire 
to  read  it,  as  she  walked  home  with  it  open,  some  of 
the  snow  fell  on  it,  and  wherever  it  touched  left  its 
mark.  She  failed  to  tell  me  whether  she  induced  her 
Democratic  brothers  to  vote  for  Mr.  Lincoln  or  not. 


The  personal  magnetism  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  such  as 
to  put  every  one  in  his  presence  at  ease  and  on  good 
terms  with  themselves.  Evidences  of  this  are  found  to 
an  almost  ludicrous  extent  through  central  Illinois. 
Nearly  every  man,  who  ever  saw  and  exchanged  a  few 
words  with  him,  seems  to  want  it  understood  that 
they  were  on  very  intimate  terms,  emphasizing  the 
words  italicised.  Base  ball  had  not  been  invented,  or 
at  most  was  not  considered  our  National  game  at  the 
time  of  his  nomination  for  President,  but  to  hear  the 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  395 

statements  of  men  who  claim  to  have  been  playing 
"hand  ball"  with  him  when  he  received  the  news  of  his 
nomination,  one  would  think  that  not  only  the  city  of 
Springfield,  but  all  of  Sangamon  county,  were  assem- 
bled for  a  grand  tournament  of  that  game.  Even  the 
women  and  children  tell  about  their  husbands,  fathers 
and  brothers  being  engaged  in  the  play  with  him  when 
the  news  came.  This  grew  monotonous  with  me,  and 
I  adopted  the  ruse  of  pretending  to  keep  a  record,  and 
when  a  considerable  number  of  visitors  were  at  the 
Monument,  and  one  of  them  would  begin  with  the  air 
of  a  man  who  thought  himself  fully  as  great  as  Lin- 
coln, to  tell  that  he  was  playing  hand  ball  with  him 
when  the  news  of  his  nomination  arrived,  I  would 
take  a  scrap  of  paper  and  pencil,  and  making  a  note, 
would  carelessly  remark  that  he  was  the  nineteen 
hundred  and  twenty-seventh,  or  some  other  incredible 
number,  who  were  playing  with  Lincoln  on  that 
memorable  occasion.  The  visitor  would  generally 
lose  his  interest  in  the  subject,  and  now  I  seldom  hear 
of  any  person  who  makes  such  a  claim.  But  the 
unkindest  cut  of  all,  to  these  boasters,  comes  from 
T.  W.  S.  Kidd,  the  "Crier  of  the  Court,"  when  Lincoln 
practiced  law  in  Springfield.  He  writes  : 

"It  has  been  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  engaged  in  playing  ball 
when  the  dispatch  was  handed  him  announcing  his  nomination  to 
the  Presidency  in  I860,  at  Chicago,  by  the  Republican  party.  This  is 
a  great,  mistake.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  as  fully  aware  of  what  was 
going  on  that  day  as  any  man  in  Springfield.  It  would  argue  an 
apathy  in  regard  to  passing  events  never  characterizing  Abraham 
Lincoln,  in  anything  political  or  professional.  He  was  what  the 
world  would  style  a  well  posted  man  on  nearly  every  subject 
claiming  attention  from  public  men  particularly,  and  in  a  matter 
of  such  moment  to  him,  and  one  upon  which  he  had  exchanged 
views  with  nearly  every  prominent  delegate  to  the  convention 
from  this  State,  either  in  person  or  by  letter,  that  it  is  out  of  the 
range  of  the  probable  to  presume  for  a  moment  that  he  was  play- 
ing ball  or  in  any  other  way  treating  the  matter  with  the 
indifference  which  some  have  endeavored  to  picture  in  this  story. 
Allow  me  right  here  to  diverge  a  little  to  give  the  true  history  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  whereabouts  when  receiving  the  news.  He  had  been 
in  the  telegraph  office,  at  that  time  on  the  north  side  of  the  square, 
awaiting  dispatches,  and  had  quietly  endured  the  suspense  until 
the  convention  had  begun  to  take  the  ballot.  He  then  left  the  office 


396  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

and  walked  to  the  store  door  of  Smith,  Wickersham  &  Co.,  west  of 
the  square.  While  standing  there  talking  of  what  he  had  already 
learned,  a  shout  was  heard  and  footsteps  were  also  heard,  coining 
down  the  stairway  of  the  telegraph  office.  This  was  taken  up 
until  cheer  after  cheer  was  heard  all  along  the  north  side,  and  a 
messenger  came  running  to  him  announcing  the  news.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  hundred  people  had  gathered  around  him  cheering, 
while  some  wanted  to  know  the  particulars,  others  wanted  to 
congratulate  him.  He  wanted  to  get  out  of  the  crowd,  and 
remarking  in  a  loud  voice  to  those  around  him,  'Well,  there  is  a 
little  woman  who  will  be  interested  in  this  news,  and  I  will  go 
home  and  tell  her,'  started  for  home." 


After  the  attempt  to  steal  the  remains  of  President 
Lincoln,  November  7,  1876,  Gen.  J.  N.  Beece,  G.  S. 
Dana  and  the  writer,  became  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  having  some  kind  of  an  organization 
for  the  purpose  of  observing  in  an  appropriate  manner 
the  anniversaries  of  his  birth  and  death.  Circum- 
stances connected  with  that  outrage  upon  civilization, 
kept  the  matter  alive  in  our  minds,  and  finally  we 
three  determined  to  act.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  we 
are  at  the  former  home  and  tomb  of  Lincoln,  to  and 
from  which  all  thoughts  on  his  life,  public  services  and 
death,  naturally  converge  and  radiate,  and  that  we 
might  at  some  time  be  entrusted  with  valuable 
property,  it  was  necessary  that  we  should  be  clothed 
with  legal  forms.  The  writer  had  it  in  mind  that  it 
would  express  a  pleasing  and  patriotic  sentiment  to 
have  thirteen  members,  corresponding  with  the 
number  of  the  original  States  of  the  Union,  but  being 
desirous  that  the  other  two  should  take  an  equal 
part  in  selecting  those  whom  we  would  invite  to  join 
us,  the  organization  was  effected  with  nine,  and  the 
number  remains  unchanged.  We  might  just  as  easily 
have  had  fifty  or  one  hundred,  but  we  think  the  smaller 
number  will  be  more  efficient.  The  following  is  taken 
from  our  records : 

On  the  twelfth  day  of  February,  1830,  the  seventy- 
first  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  at 
a  meeting  in  Memorial  Hall  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument,  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  was  organized 
and  a  certificate  of  incorporation  issued  the  next  day 
as  follows : 


LINCOLN  AND  THE   MONUMENT.  397 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE,         "> 
GEORGE  H.  HARLOW,  SECRETARY  OF  STATE,  j 

To  all  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  greeting  : 

WHEREAS,  A  certificate  duly  signed  and  acknowledged,  having 
been  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  on  the  thirteenth 
day  of  February,  A.  D.  1880,  for  the  organization  of  the  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  under  and  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
"An  act  concerning  corporations,"  approved  April  18,  1872,  and  in 
force  July  1,  1872,  a tcopy  of  which  certificate  is  hereto  attached: 

Now,  therefore,  I,  George  H.  Harlow,  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  by  virtue  of  the  powers  and  duties  vested  in  me 
by  law,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  said,  the  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  is  a  legally  organized  corporation  under  the  laws  of  this 
State. 

lu  testimony  whereof,  I  hereto  set  my  hand,  and  cause  to  be 
affixed  the  great  seal  of  State.  Done  at  the  City  of  Springfield, 
this  thirteenth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  One 
Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and  Eighty,  and  of  the  Independence  of 
the  United  States,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth.  ' 

The  original  incorporators  are  J.  C.  Power,  J.  N. 
Eeece,  G.  S.  Dana,  James  F.  McNeill,  J.  P.  Lindley, 
Edward  S.  Johnson,  Horace  Chapin,  N.  B.  Wiggins 
and  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  of  whom  G.  S.  Dana,  is 
President ;  J.  N.  Eeece,  Vice-President ;  J.  F.  McNeill, 
Treasurer,  and  J.  C.  Power,  Secretary. 

There  is  on  the  Pacific  coast  a  voluntary  society 
called  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  It  holds  memorial 
services  at  different  points  on  the  Lincoln  anniver- 
saries. The  central  point  is  San  Francisco.  The 
members  of  it  take  the  most  lively  interest  in  every- 
thing  transpiring  about  the  tomb  of  Lincoln.  After 
the  attempt  to  steal  his  body  in  1876,  Mr.  Edwin  A. 
Sherman,  who  is  the  head  of  the  movement  on  the 
Pacific,  and  is  a  cousin  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  wrote 
a  sonnet  in  honor  of,  and  sent  it  with  a  beautiful 
testimonial  to,  the  Custodian  of  the  Monument.  It  is 
fully  appreciated,  but  so  highly  complimentary  that  he 
pleads  modesty  for  not  publishing  it  here,  as  it  would 
seem  egotistical  to  do  so.  Eecently  the  Custo- 
dian received  a  valuable  testimonial  from  the  same 
source,  in  the  form  of  a  collar,  of  the  richest  red, 
white  and  blue  silk,  lined  with  crimson  satin. 
Gold  fringe  is  pendant  from  all  parts  of  it,  and 


398  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

the  entire  surface  is  covered  with  patriotic  emblems 
in  gold.  Accompanying  the  collar  came  a  ring 
of  massive  gold.  On  the  outside,  in  addition  to 
cabalistic  letters,  the  sun,  and  all-seeing  eye ;  57,  the 
number  they  gave  him  in  their  local  society,  is  inclosed 
in  a  triangle ;  21,  the  number  of  Illinois  in  the  Union, 
is  in  a  five  pointed  star ;  13,  the  number  of  the  original 
States,  38,  the  present  number,  and  56  the  number  of 
the  signers  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the 
number  of  the  years  of  Lincoln  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  are  each  enclosed  in  a  circle.  Inside :  "To 
Sup.  Gust.  G.  G.  C.  John  C.  Power,  Springfield,  111. 
From  his  California  Fraters." 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  of  Springfield,  being 
legally  organized,  has  for  its  objects  the  raising  of  a 
fund  with  which  to  purchase  and  keep  in  repair  the 
former  home  of  President  Lincoln ;  to  open  it  under 
suitable  regulations  to  visitors,  and  to  hold  the 
premises  in  trust  for  the  people.  It  also  proposes  to 
hold  memorial  services  upon  suitable  anniversary 
occasions,  and  to  collect  and  .preserve  mementoes  of 
his  life  and  death. 

The  first  memorial  service  was  held  at  the  door  of 
the  Catacomb  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument, 
April  15,  1880,  beginning  at  seven  o'clock  and  twenty- 
two  minutes  in  the  morning,  corresponding  with  the 
time  President  Lincoln  breathed  his  last,  President 
Dana,  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  acting  as 
master  of  ceremonies. 

The  services  consisted  of  prayer  by  Eev.  James  A. 
Heed,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church ;  singing  by 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Quintette 
Club— Messrs.  S.  T.  Church,  Edward  A.  Wills,  Frank 
M.  Wills,  Frank  L.  Fuller  and  B.  F.  Euth,  Jr.; 
reading  of  Lincoln's  farewell  address  to  the  people  of 
Springfield,  by  Eev.  Albert  Hale,  the  oldest  clergyman 
in  Springfield ;  reading  of  Lincoln's  letter  to  Eliza  P. 
Gurney,  by .  J.  C.  Power,  Secretary  of  the  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor;  singing;  reading  of  Lincoln's 
second  inaugural  address,  by  C.  L.  Conkling,  a 
member  of  the  Guard  of  Honor;  voluntary  addresses 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  399 

by  Rev.  W.  B.  Affleck  and  Governor  Cullom,  and  the 
reading  of  Lincoln's  favorite  poem,  "0,  why  should 
the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud,"  by  Mrs.  E.  8.  John- 
son, wife  of  a  member  of  the  Guard  of  Honor ;  and 
the  benediction,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Noble,  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church. 

The  following  is  the  very  brief,  spirited  and  highly 
appropriate  address  of  Rev.  W.  B.  Affleck,  of  York, 
England : 

"The  sorrow  and  sympathy  of  the  Guards  of  Honor,  citizens, 
admiring  friends,  and  of  the  many  strangers  whose  cheeks  are 
moistened  with  tears,  who  are  assembled  here  on  this  momentously 
solemn  occasion,  leads  me  to  repeat  an  ancient  though  appropriate 
question,  "  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead,  is  there  no  physician 
there?  Why  then  is  the  hurt  of  my  people  not  healed? 

Why,  aye,  why  ?  Because  no  such  wound  as  we  are  gathered 
here  to  commemorate  was  ever  before  inflicted,  and  no  hurt  was 
ever  before  so  universally  felt.  In  Abraham  Lincoln's  death 
humanity  lost  a  loyal  and  beneficent  representative,  the  oppressed 
colored  race  its  champion,  emancipator,  and  this  great  Nation  its 
political  and  patriotic  savior.  He  had  love  too  ardent,  sympathies 
too  deep,  a  soul  too  large,  a  heart  too  tender  »nd  a  mission  too 
Catholic  and  comprehensive  for  any  other  country  but  this  limit- 
less and  liberty-loving 

"  Land  of  the  free 

And  home  of  the  brave." 

His  great  achievements  inspired  hope  in  the  poorest  of  the  poor. 
His  honesty  placed  merchandise  and  law  on  a  higher  plane.  His 
becoming  and  uniform  humanity  gave  worthy  example  to  the  rich 
and  the  great.  His  willing  and  industrious  hand  gave  dignity 
to  honest  toil.  His  graceful  carriage  and  kindly  demeanor  under 
highest  honors  gave  a  lesson  to  all  rulers,  and  his  noble  life, 
crowned  with  a  martyr's  death,  gave  testimony  to  a  witnessing 
world  that  it  is  greater  and  diviner  to  die  in  a  good  cause,  than  to 
live  and  see  a  Nation's  liberties  sacrificed.  For 

"Whether  on  the  scaffold  high, 
Or  in  the  battle's  van  ; 
The  fittest  place  for  man  to  die 
Is,  when  he  dies  for  fellow  man." 

In  this  country's  future  the  pure  life  of  "  Lincoln  the  Good," 
will  inspire  a  spirit,  of  Christian  chivalry  in  tens  of  thousands  of 
America's  stalwart  sons,  arid  will  give  them  a  certainty  that 

"  Freedom's  battles  once  begun, 
Bequeathed  from  bleeding  sire  to  son, 
Though  baffled  oft  are  always  won." 


400  LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

Guards  of  Honor — May  God  bless  you  for  organizing  to  guard 
the  fair  fame  and  the  good  name  of  honest  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Yours  is  a  sacred  trust.  This  is  a  fine  Monument.  Its  sparkling 
granite  making  it  imperishable  but  fitly  symbolizes  the  enduring 
loyalty  of  our  own  Lincoln  to  truth,  goodness  and  God. 

In  England  we  teach  our  children  to  love  its  Cromwell.  In 
Scotland  they  teach  their  children  to  love  its  Wallace.  In  Ireland 
they  teach  their  children  to  love  its  Daniel  O'Connell.  In  Switzer- 
land they  teach  their  children  to  love  its  Winkelreid.  In  Italy 
they  teach  their  children  to  love  its  Garibaldi.  In  America, 
humanity's  refuge  and  freedom's  hope  and  home,  teach,  oh,  teach 
your  children  to  love,  ever  love,  its  Washington  the  Securer, 
and  Lincoln  the  Conservator,  of  a  Nation  united,  prosperous  and 
free. 

"Then  heart  to  heart 
And  hand  to  hand 
Bound  together  let  us  stand; 
Storms  are  gathering 
O'er  the  land, 
Many  friends  are  gone. 
Still  we  never  are  alone, 
Still  the  battle  must  be  won, 
Still  we  bravely  march  right  on — 
Right  on — right  on  !" 

Mr.  Affleck's  address  was  neither  the  first  nor  the 
last,  and  when  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  the 
universal  verdict  was  that  the  first  effort  to  hold 
memorial  services  on  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
President  Lincoln, was  a  most  gratifying  success. 

The  second  memorial  service  was  held  at  the  same 
place  and  hour  on  the  morning  of  April  15,  1881, 
President  Dana  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  again 
acting  as  master  of  ceremonies.  It  consisted  of  prayer 
by  Eev.  F.  D.  Eickerson  of  the  Central  Baptist 
Church ;  singing  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  chorus ;  address  by  Eev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant, 
D.  D.,  ex-President  of  Illinois  College ;  introductory 
address  and  reading  of  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  speech 
by  Eev.  T.  A.  Parker,  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church, 
Springfield ;  address  by  Gen.  H.  H.  Thomas,  Speaker 
of  the  Illinois  House  of  Eepresentatives,  then  in 
session;  address  and  reading  by  Clinton  L.  Conkling, 
a  member  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor ;  address 
by  Eev.  W.  B.  Affleck,  who  had  participated  in  similar 
services  the  year  before  at  the  same  place.  The  ser- 


LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT.  401 

vices  closed  by  singing,  "  The  Roll  Call  on  High,"  and 
prayer  and  benediction  by  Rev.  Roswell  0.  Post,  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  Springfield. 

The  exercises  were  exceedingly  interesting  in  every 
part,  but  the  address  of  the  venerable  Doctor  Sturte- 
vant  was  a  resume  of  a  life-long  acquaintance  with 
his  suject,  and  was  studded  with  the  richest  gems  of 
thought  and  oratory  from  beginning  to  end.  No  mere 
extracts  could  do  it  justice.  The  Guard  of  Honor  hold 
it  in  reserve,  expecting  to  publish  it  on  some  future 
occasion.  Excepting  that  the  weather  was  so  cold  and 
cloudy,  the  second  memorial  service  was  equally  suc- 
cessful with  the  first,  and  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor 
received  words  of  commendation  and  encourgement 
on  all  sides. 

The  third  memorial  service  was  held  at  the  monu- 
ment, at  half-past  two  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of 
April  15,  1882.  The  hour  was  thus  changed  in  order 
to  have  the  benefit  of  the  warmer  afternoon,  for  all 
our  services  have  been  held  in  the  open  air — and  for 
the  greater  convenience  of  the  people.  President 
Dana,  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  for  the  third 
time  conducting  the  services.  The  members  of  the 
Guard  on  all  public  occasions  are  distinguished  by  a 
neat  badge  worn  on  the  left  lapel.  The  services  con- 
sisted of  prayer  by  Eev.  D.  S.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  of  the 
Second  Presbytern  Church,  Springfield;  singing  by 
the  Double  Quartette,  Mr.  George  A.  Sanders,  Con- 
ductor, Miss  Julia  E.  Holcomb,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Barlow, 
Miss  Lulu  Hibbs,  Mrs.  James  F.  McNeill,  Mr.  H.  F. 
Velde,  Mr.  Fred  Wilms,  Mr.  Harry  M.  Snape ;  Miss 
Minnie  Goodwin,  Organist ;  address  by  Shelby  M. 
Cullom,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois;  reading 
reminiscences,  extracts  from  a  temperance  address  by 
Lincoln,  an  eulogy  on  him  by  an  ex-Confederate 
soldier,  by  J.  C.  Power;  singing;  address  by  Hon. 
James  A.  Connolly,  United  States  District  Attorney ; 
recitation  by  Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson;  singing, 
"America;"  and  prayer  and  benediction,  by  Rev.  W. 
S.  Matthew,  of  the  Second  Methodist  Church. 
26 


402  LINCOLN  AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

Governor  Cullom  has  been  one  of  the  speakers  at 
each  of  the  three  memorial  services,  and  the  last  with 
him  is  always  the  best.  Mr.  Connolly's  address  was 
patriotic,  eloquent,  and  clothed  in  the  most  beautiful 
and  polished  language.  It  was  listened  to  with  the 
closest  attention  from  the  beginning  to  its  close. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  keeps  a  carefully 
prepared  copy  of  every  utterance  at  these  memorial 
services,  and  expects  in  time  to  publish  them. 

"Desiring  to  extend  these  services  throughout  the 
land,  and  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  all  patriotic 
citizens  in  its  most  laudable  undertakings,  this 
organization,  regarding  itself  merely  as  a  standing 
committee  of  the  people,  has  provided  for  the  admission 
of  honorary  members,  and  has  procured  finely 
engraved  certificates  of  such  membership.  These 
certificates  are  printed  upon  fine  paper,  about  fourteen 
by  seventeen  inches,  and  contain  a  medallion  portrait 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  correct  views  of  his  former 
residence  in  Springfield,  and  of  the  Monument 
beneath  which  lie  his  remains.  Any  person,  upon  the 
payment  of  five  dollars  or  upwards,  can  become  an 
honorary  member,  and  receive  one  of  these  certificates, 
showing  the  name  of  the  donor  and  the  amount  of  his 
gift ;  which  certificate  will  be  signed  by  the  officers  of 
the  organization,  under  its  corporate  seal.  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  therefore,  appeals  to  all  who 
are  in  sympathy  with  its  purposes,  to  assist  in  their 
accomplishment  by  enrolling  themselves  as  honorary 
members,  and  lending  their  influence  to  the  attain- 
ment of  its  plans.  Neither  personal  nor  mercenary 
interests  are  to  be  subserved,  but  the  only  object  is  to 
commemorate,  in  a  fitting  manner,  the  example  and 
virtues  of  the  immortal  Lincoln." 

The  author  being  the  Secretary  of  the  organization 
and  Custodian  of  the  monument,  takes  the  liberty  to 
insert  here  his  readings  of  the  reminiscences,  as  part 
of  the  memorial  service  April  15.  1882.  That  part  in 
brackets  was  not  read : 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : — The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  regard 
themselves  merely  as  a  standing  committee  to  arrange  for  and  con- 
duct these  Memorial  Services.  We  are  not  a  band  of  orators,  but 


LINCOLN  AND  THE   MONUMENT.  403 

we  propose  to  press  into  our  service  the  best  talent  and  patriotism 
we  can  find,  that  we  may  properly  observe  what  we  regard  an 
important  occasion.  At  the  same  time,  however,  we  think  it  best 
that,  some  one  of  our  number  should  take  part  in  the  exercises  of 
the  hour,  and  the  lot  this  time  falls  to  me. 

On  the  morning  of  March  6,  1879,  a  company  of  ladies,  compos- 
ing a  committee  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  President  of  the  Union,  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard, 
visited  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  and  held  a  prayer-meeting 
on  the  Terrace,  under  the  shadow  of  the  statue  of  Lincoln. 

As  many  of  them  had  never  visited  the  Monument  before,  I,  at 
the  close  of  the  meeting,  invited  all  into  Memorial  Hall.  In 
explaining  to  them  the  circumstances  under  which  the  bust  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  taken,  I  showed  them  a  cast  of  his  right  hand,  and  in 
giving  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Volk,  the  artist, 
obtained  it,  incidentally  remarked  that  it  was  a  cast  of  the  hand 
that  afterwards  untied  the  hardest  knot  we  ever  had  in  this 
country,  alluding,  of  course,  to  the  writing  of  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation.  After  a  momentary  silence,  seemingly  to  divine 
my  meaning,  one  of  the  ladies  said:  'We  understand  you; 
slavery  was  a  very  hard  knot,  but  it  was  only  local.  Whisky  is  a 
much  worse  one,  for  it  is  everywhere,  no  family  is  safe,  we  are 
trying  to  untie  that."  This  impressed  me  as  putting  the  question 
with  great  force.  The  ladies  went  from  Memorial  Hall  direct  to 
the  State  Capitol,  and  presented  to  the  Legislature  of  Illinois,  their 
great  petition,  supported  by  a  hundred  thousand  names,  asking  for 
Home  Protection,  by  giving  the  ballot  to  women,  where  -the 
manufacture  arid  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks  is  the  question.  In 
view  of  later  developments,  their  action  in  coming  to  Lincoln's 
tomb  to  pray  for  the  success  of  the  cause  of  temperance,  was  more 
appropriate  than  they  at  the  time  knew. 

The  full  copy  of  an  address  on  Temperance,  delivered  by 
Abraham  Lincoln,  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  February  twenty-second, 
eighteen  hundred  and  forty-two,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Spring- 
field Washingtonian  Temperance  Society,  has  recently  been  brought 
to  light.  Previous  to  that  time  he  had  served  three  terms  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature  of  Illinois.  During  those  terms,  he 
was  remarkable  for  speaking  little  and  listening  much.  If  news- 
paper reporters  had  been  as  numerous  then  as  they  are  now,  there 
is  lit.tle  doubt  that  many  wise  sayings  of  Mr.  Lincoln  would  have 
been  preserved,  that  are  now  forever  lost.  I  have  not  examined 
the  subject  myself,  but  a  friend  who  has,  informs  me  that  this  is 
the  first  speech  by  him  that  was  ever  printed.  It  appeared  March 
26,  1842,  in  the  Sangamo  Journal,  of  which  the  present  Illinois 
State  Journal  is  the  successor. 

At  the  time  this  address  was  delivered,  prohibition  of  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating*  drinks,  by  legal  enactment, 
was  never  mentioned,  and  perhaps,  never  thought  of.  Moral 
suasion  was  the  only  means  by  which  the  Washingtonians  expected 


404  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

to  achieve  victory.  All  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  arguments  were  based 
upon  these  principles.  The  wonderful  faculty  and  spirit  of  fair- 
ness he  always  manifested,  in  first  arguing  every  case  from  the 
standpoint  of  his  opponent,  was  fully  developed  in  this  address. 
He  first  looked  at  the  subject  as  seen  by  the  manufacturer,  the 
dram-seller  and  the  dram-drinker.  He  drew  parallels  between  the 
movement  by  the  American  colonies  for  political  freedom  which 
achieved  its  first  great  victory  in  1776,  and  the  Washingtonian 
Temperance  movement,  then  in  its  infancy,  battling  for  moral  free- 
dom. With  a  prophetic  eye,  he  looked  forward  to  the  time  when 
there  would  neither  be  a  slave  nor  a  drunkard  on  the  earth;  and 
of  the  proud  position  our  own  land  would  occupy  as  the  birth- 
place and  cradle  of  both  revolutions.  It  may  reasonably  be  pre- 
sumed that  Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  expect  to  live  to  see  the  consum- 
mation of  either;  but  he  did  live  to  strike  the  death  blow  of  one  of 
these  gigantic  evils,  thus  writing  his  name  so  high  upon  the  scroll 
of  fame  that  it  will  never  be  effaced  while  time  endures.  Let  us 
hope  that  the  man  or  woman — for  it  ought  to  die  by  the  hand  of  her 
who  has  suffered  most  by  it — is  now  living  who  will  strike  the 
death  blow  to  the  other  great  enemy  of  mankind. 

Talk  about  slavery  and  polygamy  as  the  twin  relics  of 
barbarism!  They  were,  and  are  circumscribed  in  their  limits. 
Intemperance  has  no  limits,  and  consequently  towers  high  above 
them  both  ;  no,  it  does  not  reach  in  that  direction — but  sinks  so 
deep  below  as  to  fill,  if  it  were  possible,  the  bottomless  pit  with 
the  souls  of  its  victims.  I  will  now  present  Mr.  Lincoln's  views 
on  the  then  pending  temperance  revolution  in  his  own  words: 

["But  if  it  be  true,  as  I  have  insisted,  that  those  who  have 
suffered  by  intemperance  personally,  and  have  reformed,  are  the 
most  powerful  and  efficient  instruments  to  push  the  reformation  to 
ultimate  success,  it  does  not  follow  that  those  who  have  not  suffered 
have  no  part  left  them  to  perform.  Whether  or  not  the  world 
would  be  vastly  benefitted  by  a  total  and  final  banishment  from  it 
of  all  intoxicating  drinks,  seems  to  me  not  now  an  open  question. 
Three-fourths  of  mankind  confess  the  affirmative  with  their 
tongues,  and,  I  believe,  all  the  rest  acknowledge  it  in  their  hearts. 
'  Ought  any,  then,  to  refuse  their  aid  in  doing  what  the  good  of 
the  whole  demands?  Shall  he  who  cannot  do  much,  be  for  that 
reason  excused  if  he  do  nothing?  But,  says  one,  what  good  can  I 
do  by  signing  the  pledge?  I  never  drink,  even  without  signing. 
This  question  has  been  asked  and  answered  more  than  a  million 
times.  Let  it  be  answered  once  more.  For  the  man  suddenly, 
or  in  any  other  way,  to  break  off  from  the  use  of  drams,  who  has 
indulged  in  them  for  a  long  course  of  years,  and  until  his  appetite 
for  them  has  grown  ten  or  a  hundred  fold  stronger,  and  more 
craving  than  any  natural  appetite  can  be,  requires  a  most  powerful 
moral  effort.  In  such  an  undertaking  he  needs  every  moral  sup- 
port and  influence  that  can  possibly  be  brought  to  his  aid  and 
thrown  around  him.  And  not,  only  so*  but  every  moral  prop  should 


LINCOLN   ANT)   THE   MONUMENT.  405 

be  taken  from  whatever  argument,  might  rise  in  his  mind  to  lure 
him  to  his  backsliding.  When  he  casts  his  eyes  around  him,  he 
should  be  able  to  see  all  that  he  respects,  all  that  he  admires,  all 
that  he  loves,  kindly  and  anxiously  pointing  him  onward,  and 
none  beckoning  him  back  to  his  former  miserable  wallowing  in  the 
mire. 

"But  it  is  said  by  some  that  men  will  think  and  act  for  them- 
selves; that  none  will  disuse  spirits  or  anything  else  because  his 
neighbors  do;  and  that  moral  influence  is  not  that  powerful  engine 
contended  for.  Let  us  examine  this.  Let  me  ask  the  man  who 
could  maintain  this  position  most  stiffly,  what  compensation  he 
would  accept  to  go  to  Church  some  Sunday  and  sit  during  the 
sermon  with  his  wife's  bonnet  upon  his  head  ?  Not  a  trifle,  I'll 
venture.  And  why  not?  There  would  be  nothing  irreligious  in  it, 
nothing  immoral,  nothing  uncomfortable — then  why  not?  Is  it  not 
because  there  would  be  something  egregiously  unfashionable  in  it? 
Then  it  is  the  influence  of  fashion  ;  and  what  is  the  influence  of 
fashion  but  the  influence  that  other  people's  actions  have  on  our 
own  actions — the  strong  inclination  each  of  us  feels  to  do  as  we 
see  all  our  neighbors  do?  Nor  is  the  influence  of  fashion  confined 
to  any  particular  thing  or  class  of  things.  It  is  just  as  strong  on 
one  subject  as  another.  Let  us  make  it  as  unfashionable  to  with- 
hold our  names  from  the  temperance  pledge,  as  for  husbands  to 
wear  their  wives'  bonnets  to  Church,  and  instances  will  be  just  as 
rare  in  the  one  case  as  the  other.  But,  say  some,  we  are  no 
drunkards  and  we  shall  not  acknowledge  ourselves  such  by  joining 
a  reformed  drunkards  society,  whatever  our  influence  might  he. 

"Surely,  no  Christian  will  adhere  to  this  objection.  If  they 
believe,  as  they  profess,  that  Omnipotence  condescended  to  take  on 
himself  the  form  of  sinful  man,  and  as  such,  to  die  an  ignominous 
death  for  their  sakes,  surely  they  will  not  refuse  submission  to  the 
infinitely  lesser  condescension  for  the  the  temporal,  and  perhaps 
eternal,  salvation  of  a  large,  erring  and  unfortunate  class  of  their 
fellow  creatures.  Nor  is  the  condescension  very  great.  In  my 
judgment,  such  of  us  as  have  never  fallen  victims,  have  been 
spared  more  from  the  absence  of  appetite  than  from  any  mental  or 
moral  superiority  over  those  who  have.  Indeed,  I  believe,  if  we 
take  the  habitual  drunkards  as  a  class,  their  heads  and  their  hearts 
will  bear  an  advantageous  comparison  with  those  of  any  other 
class.  There  seems  ever  to  have  been  a  proneness  in  the  brilliant, 
and  warm-blooded,  to  fall  into  the  vice, — the  demon  of  intemper- 
ance ever  seems  to  have  delighted  in  sucking  the  blood  of  genius 
and  of  generosity.  What  one  of  us  but  can  call  to  mind  some 
relative,  more  promising  in  youth  than  all  his  fellows,  who  has 
fallen  a  sacrifice  to  his  rapacity?  He  ever  seems  to  have  gone 
forth  like  the  Egyptian  angel  of  death,  commissioned  to  slay,  if 
not  the  first,  the  fairest  born  of  every  family.  Shall  he  now  be 
arrested  in  his  desolating  career?  In  that  arrest,  all  can  give  aid 
that  will ;  and  who  shall  be  excused  that  can,  and  will  not?  Far 


406  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

around  as  human  breath  has  ever  blown,  he  keeps  our  fathers,  our 
brothers,  our  sons,  and  our  friends  prostrate  in  the  chains  of  moral 
death.  To  all  the  living,  everywhere,  we  cry :  Come,  sound  the 
moral  trump,  that  these  may  rise  and  stand  up  an  exceeding  great 
army.  Come  from  the  four  winds,  0  breath!  and  breathe  upon 
these  slain,  that  they  may  live."] 

"  If  the  relative  grandeur  of  revolutions  shall  be  estimated  by 
the  great  amount  of  human  misery  they  alleviate,  and  the  small 
amount  they  inflict,  then,  indeed,  will  this  be  the  grandest  the 
world  shall  ever  have  seen.  Of  our  political  revolution  of  1776, 
we  are  all  justly  proud.  It  has  given  us  a  degree  of  political  free- 
dom far  exceeding  that  of  any  other  nation  of  the  earth.  In  it 
the  world  has  found  a  solution  of  the  long  mooted  problem  as  to 
the  capability  of  man  to  govern  himself.  In  it  was  the  germ 
which  has  vegetated,  and  still  is  to  grow  and  expand  into  the 
universal  liberty  of  mankind.  But  with  all  these  glorious  results, 
past,  present,  and  to  come,  it  had  its  evils,  too.  It  breathed  forth 
famine,  swam  in  blood,  and  rode  in  fire ;  and  long,  long  after,  the 
orphan's  cry,  and  the  widow's  wail  continued  to  break  the  sad  silence 
that  ensued.  These  were  the  price,  the  inevitable  price,  paid  for 
the  blessings  jj,  bought. 

"Turn,  now,  to  the  temperance  revolution.  In  it  we  shall  find  a 
stronger  bondage  broken,  a  viler  slavery  manumitted,  a  greater 
tyrant  deposed.  In  it  more  of  want  supplied,  more  disease  healed, 
more  sorrow  assuaged,  By  it  no  orphans  starving,  none  injured 
in  interest;  even  the  dram-maker  and  dram-seller  will  have  glided 
into  other  occupations  so  gradually,  as  never  to  have  felt  the 
change,  and  will  stand  ready  to  join  all  others  in  the  universal 
song  of  gladness.  And  what  a  noble  ally  is  this  to  the  cause  of 
political  freedom.  With  such  an  aid,  its  march  cannot,  fail  to  be  on 
and  on,  till  every  son  of  earth  shall  drink  in  rich  fruition  the  sor- 
row-quenching draughts  of  perfect  liberty.  Happy  day,  when,  all 
appetites  controlled,  all  passions  subdued,  all  matter  subjected; 
mind,  all-conquering  mind,  shall  live  and  move,  the  monarch  of 
the  world.  Glorious  consummation!  Hail,  fall  of  fury  I  Reign  of 
reason,  all  hail !" 

Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  make  any  allusion  to  the  day  they  were 
observing;  except  in  the  closing  paragraph: 

"This  is  the  one  hundred  and  tenth  anniversary  of  the  birthday 
of  Washington.  We  are  met  to  celebrate  this  day.  Washington 
is  the  mightiest  name  of  earth — long  since  mightiest  in  the  cause 
of  civil  liberty,  still  mightiest  in  moral  reformation.  On  that 
name  a  eulogy  is  expected.  It  cannot  be.  To  add  brightness  to 
the  sun,  or  glory  to  the  name  of  Washington, , is  alike  impossible. 
Let  none  attempt  it.  In  solemn  awe  pronounce  the  name,  and  in 
its  naked,  deathless  splendor,  leave  it  shining  on." 

In  the  subject  eulogized,  the  words  spoken,  and  the  reverential 
bearing  of  the  orator,  in  which  he  was  too  modest  to  call  his  utter- 
ances by  their  proper  title,  this  eulogy  is  unique.  Could  Lincoln 


LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT.  407 

have  looked  down  through  the  dark  clouds,  the  surging  billows,  and 
the  lights  and  shades  of  almost  forty  years,  he  might  have  heard, — 
which  I  almost  think  he  did. — at  his  own  tomb,  words  of  equal 
grandeur,  from  a  source  apparently  as  humble,  and  far  more  sur- 
prising, when  we  consider  the  relation  of  the  parties  to  each  other. 

About  two  years  ago,  just  as  I  was  dismissing  a  party  of  visitors 
from  the  door  of  the  Catacomb,  a  very  plain,  modest  looking  man 
of  middle  age,  approached  and^said  he  had  come  to  see  and  learn  all 
he  could  about  the  Monument  and  Lincoln.  I  proceeded  in  my 
usual  way,  when  visitors  are  much  interested,  and  completed  my 
explanations  on  the  Terrace,  in  front  of  the  statue  of  the  Presi- 
dent. From  the  general  bearing  of  the  visitor,  I  should  have  taken 
him  for  a  son  of  an  original  New  England  Abolitionist.  When  I 
left  off  speaking,  he  remained,  and  seemed  reluctant  to  take  his 
eyes  from  the  statue.  After  several  minutes  spent  in  silent  medi- 
tation, he  astonished  me  by  saying  substantially: 

"I  was  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  spent  four  years 
doing  my  utmost  to  defeat  all  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  trying  to 
accomplish.  He  succeeded,  and  I  have  no  regrets  on  that  account." 

The  visitor  then  assumed  a  tragic  attitude,  and  raising  his  right 
hand  towards  the  statue,  said,  with  deliberation  and  emphasis  : 

"  He  was  an  infinitely  greater  man  than  George  Washington  ever 
was."  . 

With  his  eyes  still  fixed  on  the  statue,  and  as  though  his 
whole  soul  was  in  his  words,  he  continued: 

"Washington  had  no  difficulty  in  determining  who  were  his 
friends  and  who  were  not.  His  enemies  were  principally  on  the 
water,  on  the  other  side  of  it,  or  officers  and  soldiers. sent  here  to 
enforce  the  mandates  of  a  tyrant.  His  friends  were  his  neighbors, 
who,  in  addition  to  their  struggles  for  existence  in  a  new  country, 
were  oppressed  by  taxation  without  representation.  The  line  was 
clearly  drawn  from  the  beginning. 

.  "  With  Lincoln  it  was  different.  His  enemies  were  in  every 
department  of  the  government.  They  filled  the  civil  offices;  they 
commanded  his  skeleton  of  an  army  ;  they  trod  the  decks  of  his 
ships,  such  as  they  were.  Where  they  could  with  immunity  be 
open,  they  were  bold  and  outspoken;  where  it  was  policy  they 
were  more  wily,  complaisant  and  cautious.  It  required  two  years, 
or  half  his  first  term,  to  learn  who  were  friends  and  who  were  ene- 
mies ;  but  he  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  And  through  it  all  a 
little  child  could  approach  him  with  perfect  confidence;  but  the 
most  wily  statesman  could  not  swerve  him  a  hair's  breadth  from 
what  he  believed  to  be  right!'' 

The  Presbyterian  church  is  governed  by  four  judica- 
tories  or  church  courts :  the  Session,  the  Presbytery, 
the  Synod,  and  the  General  Assembly.  .  It  is  strictly  a 
representative  government,  in  which  the  majority 


408  LINCOLN   AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

rules.  Some  of  the  leading  minds,  in  achieving  our 
independence,  both  as  soldiers  and  statesmen,  are 
known  to  have  been  members  of,  and  officers  in,  the 
Presbyterian  church.  It  is  claimed,  with  a  reasonable 
probability  of  its  truthfulness,  that  it  served,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  as  a  model  to  the  framers  of  our  own 
National  government. 

During  our  Revolutionary  period,  but  three  of  those 
courts  existed  in  the  colonies.  The  highest  was  styled 
the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  That  Synod 
was  divided  into  four  Synods,  and  the  Presbyteries 
composing  those  four  Synods,  in  1789,  organized  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America.  Notwithstanding  the 
divisions  and  re-unions  that  have  taken  place,  the 
great  body  of  Presbyterians  in  the  United  States,  who 
are  the  descendants  and  successors  of  those  represented 
in  the  first  General  Assembly,  compose  the  Presby- 
terian church  represented  in  the  ninety-fourth  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  which  convened  in  Springfield,  111., 
in  May,  1882. 

Before  the  General  Assembly  settled  down  to  work  it 
became  evident  that  the  commissioners  and  others  in 
attendance  would  visit  the  Lincoln  Monument  in  such 
numbers  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  all  to  register 
their  names  there.  In  order  to  obviate  this  difficulty, 
blanks  were  prepared,  of  uniform  size  with  the  pages 
of  the  register,  so  that  by  removing  an  equal  number 
of  sheets  they  will  be  inserted  and  form  part  of  the 
register.  Columns  were  prepared  with  suitable  head- 
ings, for  the  name,  postoffice,  and  State  of  each  com- 
missioner, whether  a  minister  or  ruling  elder,  and  the 
Presbytery  he  represents.  These  blanks  were  placed 
on  the  desk  of  the  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly,  and 
attention  called  to  them  by  the  Moderator.  The  names 
of  nearly  all  the  commissioners  are  enrolled.  A  beau- 
tifully printed  title  page  reads : 

"Autograph  roll  of  the  Commissioners  composing  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  United  States  of 
Americn,  to  be  deposited  in  Memorial  Hall,  National  Lincoln  Mon- 
ument, as  a  memento  of  their  ninety-fourth  annual  session,  held 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT.  409 

in  the  city  which  was  once  the  home  of  our  martyred  President, 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Convened,  May  18,  1882 ;  adjourned,  May  29, 
1882.  Springfield,  Illinois." 

The  next  page  reads : 

Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.  D.,  Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian   General 

Assembly,  now  in  annual  session  : 

DEAR  SIR:  This  is  done  with  the  approval  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  consisting 
of  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Col.  John  Williams  and  Hon.  James  C. 
Conkling. 

As  much  would  be  done  in  connection  with  any  other 
church  court  of  national  extent,  should  it  assemble  in 
Springfield,  but  this  being  a  Presbyterian  affair,  the 
writer  takes  the  liberty,  without  their  knowledge,  of 
saying  who  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee 
are: 

Mr.  Stuart  was  the  preceptor,  and  afterwards  the 
law  partner,  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  is  tlje  son  of  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  and  is  a  regular  attendant  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  where  Mr.  Lincoln 
worshipped. 

Mr.  Williams  is  a  member  of  the  same  church. 

Mr.  Conkling  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Springfield. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  in  this  con- 
nection, as  a  coincidence,  that  your  humble  servant 
has  served  more  than  twenty  years  as  a  ruling  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  church. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Custodian. 
MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS,  MAY  24,  1882. 

Upon  the  invitation  of  the  Executive  Committee,  the 
members  of  the  General  Assembly  visited  the  Monu- 
ment on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  May  27th,  and 
were  welcomed  by  the  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling,  in  the 
following  well  chosen  words : 

"  The  Lincoln  Monument  Association  have  thought  it  due  to  the 
patriotic  attitude  which  has  heretofore  been  assumed  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  that  they  should  be  invited  while  here  in  the  city  of 
Springfield,  to  visit  the  tomb  of  our  martyred  President,  Abraham 


410  LINCOLN  AND  THE   MONUMENT. 

Lincoln,  and  they  have,  therefore,  extended  an  invitation  to  you  to 
be  here  on  this  occasion,  in  order  that  we  may  listen  to  some  of 
those  same  patriotic  utterances  to  which  many  of  us  have  hereto- 
fore listened  during  the  darkest  period  of  our  country's  peril. 
And  to  this  end,  we  have  invited  some  of  your  number  to  make  a 
few  remarks  on  this  occasion,  and  I  therefore  now  introduce  Dr. 
Herrick  Johnson,"  who  spoke  as  follows: 

"Gathered  here  to-day  at  the  tomb  of  our  first  martyr  President, 
it  befits  the  place  and  the  hour  that  we  recall  his  death,  catch,  if 
possible,  his  inner  spirit,  and  enter  anew  into  the  meaning  of  his 
sacrifice.  We  did  well  to  rear  this  cenotaph*  to  his  memory,  and 
to  weave  amaranths  for  the  brow  of  the  beloved  dead.  Forever- 
more  sacred  will  be  this  Monument  that  entombs  him.  *  *  *  * 
But  what  of  the  dead  to  the  living?  We  shall  build  better  than 
monumental  marble  to  his  memory,  if  we  build  the  meaning  of  his 
spirif.  and  the  meaning  of  his  martyrdom  into  our  hearts  and  lives. 
Let  us  emphasize,  for  one  thing,  a  central  truth  of  our  holy  religion 
that  it  is  only  by  a  crucified  Redeemer  salvation  cometh.  Apostles 
are  stoned,  prophets  are  sawn  asunder — 

"  Knowledge  by  suffering  entereth, 

And  life  is  perfected  by  death.' 

"In  looking  over  the  field  of  strife,  it  seems  as  if  men  planted 
each  new  truth  with  blood,  and  shed  much  to  set  some  truths.  But 
in  the  end  truth  is  set  in  hearts  and  homes,  societies  and  States, 
and  the  fruitage  is  glorious.  Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  the  plant  of 
universal  emancipation  in  all  this  land  for  the  negro,  was  worth 
even  the  blood  of  Lincoln?  Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  even  through 
that  baptism  of  suffering  and  sorrow,  which  culminated  in  his- 
death,  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  nestled  down  upon  this 
Nation,  and  we  were  left  the  richer  for  the  baptism?  Let  us  thank 
God  to-day,  that  though 

'  Careless  seems  the  Great  Avenger, 

And  history's  pages  but  record 

One  death  grapple  in  the  darkness, 

'Twixt  old  systems  and  the  Word; 

Truth  forever  on  the  scaffold, 

Wrong  forever  on  the  throne, — 

Yet  that  scaffold  sways  the  future ;         ^ 

And  behind  the  dim  unknown 

Standeth  God  within  the  shadow, 

Keeping  watch  above  His  own.' 

"Here  in  this  hallowed  spot  let  us  make  room  in  our  hearts  fora 
larger  and  sweeter  charity.  Abraham  Lincoln's  heart  was  full  of 
it.  When  the  spirit  of  hate  and  passion  murdered  him,  it  mur- 
dered mercy.  The  calm,  patient,  often  weary,  but  ever  kindly  and 

*The  use  of  this  w'ord  would  imply  that  he  had  been  led,  erro- 
neously, to  believe  that  the  body  was  not  in  the  Monument. 


LINCOLN   AND  THE   MONUMENT.  411 

gentle  soul,  how  he  did  plead  with  his  wayward  countrymen  ! 
What  gentleness  was  in  all  his  speeches!  With  what  brooding 
tenderness  did  he  watch  over  his  great  trust!  His  tears  were  bot- 
tled, his  prayers  were  registered,  his  love  has  conquered,  his  pro- 
phetic vision  must  have  caught  the  glory  of  this  glad  hour,  as  he 
said,  'The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battle- 
field and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone,  all 
over  this  broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when 
again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our 
nature.'  The  hands  of  those  better  angels,  hidden  from  mortal 
eyes,  have  struck  the  last  chorus.  We  listen  here  in  the  hush  of 
this  holy  hour,  to  the  music  of  their  vibration,  and,  blessed  be  God, 
our  dear  dissevered,  and  so  long  alienated,  Presbyterian  church 
takes  step  with  the  country  to  th«  music  that  finds  its  heavenly 
expression  and  inspiration  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  first  Cor- 
rinthians.  Let  us  go  from  this  tomb  praying  to  be  bathed  more 
and  more  in  the  spirit  of  Christ's  love  and  sacrifice,  and  to  be 
moulded  more  and  more  into  the  image  of  his  divine  passion." 

Some  of  the  colored  commissioners  and  others  were 
prepared  to  speak,  but  the  approaching  rainstorm  pre- 
vented carrying  out  the  programme.  There  was  a  few 
words  by  Governor  Cullom,  a  prayer  by  Rev.  Dr.  Hat- 
field,  the  singing  of  the  doxology,  and  the  benediction 
by  Rev.  W.  H.  Roberts,  all  of  which  I  omit,  and  give 
only  the  brief  address  of  Rev.  E.  P.  Humphrey,  D.  D., 
of  Louisville,  Kentucky : 

"I  know  of  no  reason  why  I  should  be  expected  to  speak,  except 
the  fact  that  I  represent,  in  our  General  Assembly,  the  region  in 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  born.  The  Presbytery  I  represent  covers  the 
region^n  which  is  the  little  town,  near  which  Mi^  Lincoln  began  life 
in  the  world.  'Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  it  abidetb. 
alone,  but  if  it  die  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.'  And  it  will,  per- 
haps, occur  in  the  course  of  years,  or  of  ages,  as  they  revolve,  that 
the  death  of  this  man,  under  the  circumstances,  has  been  of  advan- 
tage to  the  world,  stimulating  people,  who  love  liberty,  to  sacrifice 
themselves,  if  necessary,  upon  its  altar,  and  inducing  them  to 
declare  that  this  government  shall  be  preserved  as  a  government 
of  the  people,  from  the  people,  and  for  the  people.  If  this  man  had 
survived  to  this  time,  and  had  come  out  of  his  primitive  dwelling 
into  the  city  now,  he  would  have  found  here  representatives  of  a 
people  who  are  governed,  substantially,  by  the  same  great  rules 
which  prevailed  in  the  constitution  of  our  country.  There  is,  as 
you  know,  such  a  resemblance  between  the  constitution  and  the 
government  of  this  church  and  the  constitution  and  government  of 
the  country,  that  it  would  seem  the  one  was  specially  indebted  to 
the  other, — though  not  from  the  people,  but  from  Christ,  it  is  of  the 
people  and  for  the  people. 


412  LINCOLN  AND   THE   MONUMENT. 

Now,  let  me  suggest,  also,  that  it  becomes  us  as  citizens  of  this 
country  likewise, — because  we  are  not  only  subjects  of  the  church 
of  Christ,  ministers  and  working  elders,  but  citizens, — to  cherish 
the  memory  of  this  man  in  the  work  before  us,  and  see  to  it  that 
the  great,  principles  of  liberty  and  philanthropy,  for  which  he  lived 
and  died,  are  made  permanent  and  eternal.  I  cannot  continue 
these  remarks,  as  I  observe  the  rain  is  beginning  to  fall,  but  we  are 
willing,  even  in  the  rain,  to  meditate  a  moment  on  these  things. 
Astronomers  tell  us  that  from  the  most  distant  star  in  our  system, 
light  would  require  hundreds  of  years  to  travel  to  our  earth.  If, 
now,  one  of  these  stars  should  be  blotted  out,  the  light  from  it 
would  still  be  coming  down,  long  after  the  star  had  disappeared. 
So  the  light  of  this  man's  example  shines  upon  the  world,  and  will 
continue  to  shine,  and  shine  upon  the  whole  land  and  the  whole 
earth,  for  ages  and  ages  after  his  death — after  even  this  Monument 
shall,  in  the  course  of  years,  decay  and  crumble,  the  example  of 
that  man  and  the  light  that  flows  from  his  example,  will  be  per- 
petually falling  upon  the  world.  I  feel  as  if  my  heart  and  mind 
and  body  were  full  of  the'  electric  'fire  of  liberty,  and  I  seem  a 
stronger,  and  I  hope  a  better,  man  for  having  stood  in  this  place, 
and  for  having  communed  with  a  heart  and  thought  so  pure,  so 
simple  and  yet  so  grand, — so  near  and  natural,  he  seems  yours  and 
mine  as  we  stand  here  together  upon  this  sacred  spot." 


